Bright and Beautiful
by Lola-Gurl
Summary: ch. 17 up! Akemi Kamikara knew nothing of her family, and their ties to the Sohma family secret. As harsh feelings grow between the two families, what happens when Akemi begins to befriend her enemies, and feel emotions forbidden from the start? R
1. The Kamikara Estate

Summary: Akemi Kamikara knew nothing of her family, and their ties to the Sohmas,along with the secret. As harsh feelings brew between the two families, what will happen when Akemi begins to befriend her enemies, and feel emotions forbidden from the start? A bit romeo/julietish, if you think about it. But hey, arn't all forbidden love stories?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. I wish I did. But I own Akemi Kamikara, and most of the rest of their family. Paris Rose DOES own Amaya. Which is weird. But other than that, I own their parents, their grandfather, and all the other Kamikaras that come into the picture besides that.

My note: This is my first Fruits Basket fic. Please be nice to me, I'm no expert! The main characters don't appear much in this first chapter, but they will for a lot of it, I guarantee. Oh, and although most of the manga hasn't come out in the US, I'm including all the characters in it, even though they don't appear in the Anime. Like Rin. Oh, and if you're intrigued, good. You'll have to see for yourself which Sohma Akemi ends up liking...laughs Maniacally So, now that I've told you all that, I hope you enjoy it.

Key:

'Thoughts. Because my formatting sucks'

Between scenes or space in time

#####FLASHBACK#####  
  
Ok, got it? Start Reading:  
  
Chapter 1: The Kamikara Estate  
  
"Goodbye Home," Akemi whispered softly. I was time to leave. She was still in denial, after all, this was the place she had grown up. Every precious memory she had took place in this very house. Now she had to leave it all behind, to go to an unfamiliar home. She held the last of her belongings in her backpack, which hung loosely on her shoulders. Sighing, she left her bedroom and went outside, where her family was waiting.  
  
"Akemi!" A voice called. She turned to see her sister standing there, looking happy.

"What?" She replied dully. She was in no mood to make conversation. "Mom says put your stuff in the car," Amaya said, pointing. Akemi nodded nonchalantly and followed the directions. She sighed again, the umpteenth time that morning.  
  
Akemi Kamikara was miserable. Since the previous summer, there had been talk of moving, quiet whispers between her parents past bedtime. But she had never thought her grandfathers ill health could change her life.  
  
###FLASHBACK###  
  
"Your grandfather is very sick, Akemi. We can't stay here and live our life's ignoring it when he needs our help. Would you be that cruel to him?" Her father asked her.  
  
"But-"  
  
"No. You can't get out of this the way you can other things. You need to be a compassionate person and rise above your own selfishness," Her father spoke lightly, afraid to hurt his daughter with his words.  
  
"And besides, you'll get to go to a Co-ed School. Haven't you always wanted that?" Her mother had always known the way to bribe her. Akemi and her sister had gone to an all girls school since they were young. "I can't leave this home," She muttered, barely above a whisper. But her mother heard her. She squeezed her shoulders kindly. "Its for the best."  
  
###End Flashback###  
  
That had been a month ago. Since then, her things had all been packed and taken to her grandfather's house. Although they were moving, her father had assured her that they would still keep the house, to use for vacations and such. Only a few things remained in her room, which she would have when she visited a while later.  
  
"Come on Akemi, we need to get their by late afternoon!" She put her things in the trunk of the car and shut the door. She looked at her parents eagerly and asked, "May I please go to the shine one last time before we go?" Her mother sighed, but her father smiled. "Yes, but hurry. We need to get going."  
  
She quickly made her way into the backyard, where their shrine was located. It was basically a small pagoda, with a roof and a small space to kneel in prayer. The family name, Kamikara was engraved by the alter, a small stone of marble. Usually Akemi gave a small gift, a flower or poem, giving thanks to god, as well as her ancestors. But today there was no time. Yet, she felt compelled to give something. Taking off her silver ring, she placed it on the alter and kissed it. "I shall miss you," She said, bowing in silent prayer.  
  
Though it was small, dark and slightly moldy, it was Akemi's favorite place in the world. A place where her thoughts could be pondered without interruption. It hurt her inside to know that soon, she would be praying someplace else, probably a bigger and less private place. "Goodbye." She said, standing up and walking away.  
  
"Akemi, come on!" Amaya urged. Her bright green eyes shined with excitement. Akemi couldn't understand how her older sister could be so excited. "Coming," She answered monotonously. Amaya was 2 years older than her, and in her final year of high school. Yet, she didn't quite act like an 18 year old. She ruffled Akemi's mahogany colored hair and smiled.  
  
"Don't worry, it's gonna be great. You'll get along at school just fine!" She smiled happily, bubbling with joy. "Easy for you to say," Akemi commented. Amaya blinked. "Meaning?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. Akemi shrugged. "I dunno. You're almost in college, that's all." Amaya poked her chest with her finger. "Not yet. We've still got another few months." Akemi rolled her eyes. "Same difference."  
  
Amaya hastily changed the subject. "But hey, we got to go to school with boys this year!" She brightened at these words, if it was possible. Akemi knew that it had always been her sisters desire. Other than dating them, Amaya had always wanted to 'beat their Asses into the ground at track' as she had said. Akemi shrugged again. She could care less what her sister thought. Amaya nudged her and said grinning, "Maybe you can actually get a boyfriend, Akemi."  
  
Akemi blushed slightly at her sister's words, but frowned at her, looking angry. Amaya cowered instantly. "I didn't mean it! Don't hurt me." Akemi simply regained her cool composure and walked passed her sister. "Grow up, Amaya." She said curtly. Amaya rolled her eyes and replied with, "Whatever."  
  
Their parents had been right: It was indeed a long trip. Unfortunately, Akemi had a hard time staying awake, and did what she could to keep entertained. She played I-Spy, Mad Libs and other Car Games, but it was no use. Within an hour, she was fast asleep, head resting against Amaya's shoulder.  
  
"Mom, can I move Akemi's head off of my shoulder?" She asked annoyed. Her mother turned around from the front passenger seat. "Oh, Amaya honey, don't wake her up." "But mom," Amaya complained, "She's DROOLING on my shirt!!!" Her mother gave her a pained look and handed her a pillow. Amaya placed it between her shoulder and her sister's head, preventing her from drooling on her any further. But this unfortunately couldn't drown out her constant babble. "Pirates," Akemi mumbled, "They're eating grilled cheese sandwiches with peanut butter." Amaya sighed: This really was going to be a long trip.

The mid-afternoon sun shown down brightly on Yuki's head. He jerked it upward, looking at the large moving van that passed them by.  
  
"Looks like we're getting new neighbors," He said softly. Tohru looked at the moving van, then to him. A quizzical look spread across her face.

"You mean Shigure sold some of your land?"  
  
Yuki shook his head. "No, not hour neighbors in particular. Somebody's neighbors. I was just speaking generally." Tohru's eyes lit up. "How exciting! I hope whoever it is has kids our age! Then they could go to our school and we could be friends! Oh, but it would be great if they were younger, too! Then I could baby-sit them! I've never had a sibling, and I've always liked kids, so babysitting would be just great-" She rambled excitingly until she was interrupted.  
  
"Boy you talk a lot! You've gotta learn to shut that mouth once in a while," Kyo said, in his usual grumpy voice. Yuki narrowed his eyes and replied coldly, "Do not speak to Miss Honda in such a manner." Kyo looked back at him, annoyed. "Oh shut up you damn rat! Tohru knows I didn't mean anything by it, didn't you Tohru?"  
  
They both looked at her, wanting her to choose sides. What did she do to deserve this?! "Guys, we should probably get home. Shigure will get worried if we stall to much," She said, uneasily. But neither listened. They were fighting again. "I'll beat you this time Rat Boy!" Kyo spat, getting into a fighting stance. "Hmm...it's as if I've heard this before, but where, and when? Could I be experiencing Déjà vu?" Yuki said, sarcasm etched in his voice.  
  
"Can it. It's time for me to kick your ass!" Kyo launched at him, sending out a series of powerful blows. Yuki gracefully dodged each one as if it were child's play (A/N: But hey, then again, it pretty much is to Yuki) Tohru bit her lip as she watched. Would they ever tire of it? Spotting an opening, Yuki kicked Kyo hard in the stomach, sending him doubling backwards. He landed on the ground with a fairly loud thud.  
  
"Well, looks like you did no such kicking," Yuki said, straightening himself. He turned to Tohru and smiled. "Shall we go?" She looked at him, then at Kyo. "We should wait for Kyo to get up," She said, jerking her head towards him. "Yes, perhaps we should," He answered dryly.

"Akemi, wake up. We're here."  
  
Akemi rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. The car had come to a definite stop, right inside the gates of god knows where. The scenery was quite different than what she was used to back home: The town was quite cute, with many houses, all identical in shape, but not in size. She didn't notice shops at all, but she assumed it was because of the fairly large city that loomed nearby. "What's this town called again?" She asked yawning. The rest of her family sighed. "Akemi," her father said, "This is grandfathers house. This is the one and only Kamikara estate."  
  
"Holy Shit!" She said, not believing it. She was so amazed that she had let herself slip an uncommon word into her vocabulary. In other words, she swore.  
  
"Amaya watch you language," Her mother said sharply.  
  
"It wasn't me, it was Akemi!" Amaya protested.  
  
The car was silent for a minute. Then- "Oh. Akemi then."  
  
Amaya scowled and stuck her tongue out at her younger sister. Why did she always have to get blamed?  
  
"Well, come on girls, don't just stand there! Lets get going inside. As you can see, the main house is right in front of us. That's where we'll be staying. Grandfather stays there as well, so you'll need to be on your best behavior when he's around. Speaking of which, he's probably excited to see you. Come, let us go." Their father said, motioning for them to come inside.  
  
Akemi yawned and turned to Amaya. "When did I fall asleep?" She asked. Amaya stared at her, unblinking.  
  
"Within an hour."  
  
"Figures. I can't stay asleep the whole car ride to save my life."  
  
"Come on girls!" Their father called again. They turned to their father, who looked eager for them to come in.  
  
"Coming!" Amaya called back. "Come on," She said, dragging Akemi by the arm. "But, our stuff-" She began, but Amaya waved her hand and replied, "Nah, we'll get it later. Relax. We've gotta see grandfather now."  
  
They walked slowly up the pathway to the main house, which looked like a mansion in its own. It had to have at least two stories, besides the fact of being about 4 times the size of their house.  
  
Akemi couldn't help but gasp as she looked around inside. Many paintings, sculptures and other pieces of art hung on the wall or sat on tables. The house was well furnished to say the least. Many of the rooms seemed to be bedrooms or guestrooms, the rest seemed to be mainly used for entertainment. Yet, despise its size, it seemed quite empty and small on the inside. It seemed especially so without anyone in sight.  
  
The hallways seemed to continue forever, until her father stopped, which caused Akemi to bump into Amaya. "Watch it," Amaya said, jokingly. Akemi scrunched up her face and stuck out her tongue in reply. Amaya did the same. "Girls," Their father warned. "Be on your best behavior." The two immediately straightened up and followed these orders. He did the same, then knocked on the door in front of him. A faint 'come in' emitted from the other side. He opened the door and motioned for his daughters to follow.  
  
The room was quite small compared to the others. It seemed drab compared to the many furnished places throughout the rest of the house. Sitting in a large chair sat a fragile old man. He gripped the arms tightly, as if he would float away if he didn't. His shriveled mouth seemed to frown. But instead, he crinkled the ends of it, smiling.  
  
"Welcome Amaya and Akemi, my granddaughters. I apologize for not visiting in all these long years. But My, how you've both grown." His smile, though kind, looked awkward planted on his face, as if it didn't belong. It was almost fake. Akemi couldn't remember ever seeing her grandfather, but she was sure he probably was their when she was much younger. She wondered why she hadn't been to, or even heard of this estate before. A secret kept from them, perhaps?  
  
"It's very nice to be here Grandfather," Amaya said polity, bowing. She said this softly and casually, looking at Akemi, waiting for her to say something as well. Too scared to say anything, she simply nodded and bowed. She felt out of place and strange in this room. "I'm sure you will enjoy living here with me. You may choose any room you'd like in the main house. The other houses belong to your other relatives, and I'm afraid we would have to build another house somewhere on this estate in order for you to live alone. So your parents agreed for you all to stay in the main house. I hope you will find it **_suitable_**."  
  
'Suitable? This is a palace! Is he insane?' Akemi thought, staring at him wide eyed. "I'm sure everything will be wonderful father," their father said, nodding. "Very well. You should go see to your things. I'm sure you have much unpacking to do." Their grandfather said. They nodded in reply and left the room. Once they were outside of it, Akemi breathed a sigh of relief. "That was really scary," she whispered to Amaya. She shrugged. "Maybe to you. But you've never been a people person, have you?" She shrugged again. "You gotta learn how to be more outgoing. How are you going to make friends tomorrow?" She asked skeptically. Akemi ignored her and asked her father, "Dad, can I look around for a room?" He nodded happily. "Go on ahead."  
  
"Come on Amaya, lets go looking." She pulled her sister by her sleeve. They looked around, inspecting each room. They finally decided on identical rooms side by side. A fairly large bathroom jointed the two rooms together. It came completed with a bathtub/shower, two sinks, two mirrors, a toilet and lots of extra space. This was a bonus to the fact that the rooms had walk in closets and fairly large windows.  
  
"I like it. Very conventional," Akemi said approvingly. Amaya nodded, grinning. "Sorta empty now, but wait till I get my stuff in here. It could definitely use some remodeling." Her grin grew as she said brightly, "Finally, my own room! No offense to you Akemi, but it's cool not to have to share the space. My instruments won't have to go in the closet anymore!"  
  
"Girls, come outside and get your stuff! The moving van's here!" Their mother called from outside. Akemi went to the window and opened it. "We'll be right down," She called. Their bedrooms were on the second floor, which made it easy to look out on the grounds. "Come on, we should get down there," Amaya said, turning towards the door, then stopping. "Um, Akemi?" She asked. "Hmm? What?" Akemi said, looking at her, closing the window. "I don't remember the way to the front door. Could you lead the way?" She asked sheepishly.  
  
Akemi rolled her eyes. Here was her sister, almost in college, and she couldn't find her way down stairs and to the front door. How would she be able to make it around an entire campus?! "I'll show you," She said sighing. Akemi had remembered every turn they took. They never once got lost. That was mostly because of Akemi's photographic memory, plus their parents' constant nagging, which led them their anyway.  
  
"Thank god," Amaya said gratefully, grabbing some of her stuff. "Good thing you never get lost, Akemi. Otherwise, we'd be screwed." A small smirk crept over the old man's face as his family left the room. They were finally here, and at last, the legend could come true. "Soon...the Sohmas will get what they deserve." Lola: Well, that took me FOREVER to get up. I'm slow, I know. 

Paris: Feh, got that right. Loser.

Lola: SHUT UP!!!!!!!! Ahem, anyway, the next chapter will have more of Tohru, Kyo, Yuki and Shigure, I promise. This is the basic intro to Akemi, Amaya and their family.

Paris: Oh, by the way, I own Amaya. Booyah.

Lola: Yea. She does. But anyway, please review. This is my first Fruits Basket Fic, and I need feedback. Thanks!


	2. Kaiwaia High

Lola: Hi everybody!   
  
Everybody: Hi Lola-Gurl!   
  
Lola: I'm too lazy to do the disclaimer myself, so take it away TMM!  
  
TMM: **Deep breath** Lola-Gurl does not, never has and probably never will own Fruits Baskets. If she were to state so, she would get sued for the invisible money under her bed. Plus the monopoly money in her closet. But, we're not claiming so, so no lawsuit. Lola does however own Akemi Kamikara, the majority of their family and well...that's it.  
  
CLP: Amaya Kamikara belongs to Paris-rose, who has so graciously let Lola use her in this fic.  
  
Lola: Feh. More like begged me to put in here.  
  
Producer Lawrence: whisper whisper  
  
Lola: 0.0 we're on air?! Oh. Ok. ' Well, anyway, please review if you like. If you have suggestions...review. If you don't....put it nicely. If you flame, I'll simply remove the review. Oh yes, I know this chapter (and the few following, perhaps) may make this look like a Akemi/Kyo fic. Nope, guess agian. You'll have to wait and see what happens. Thankies!

* * *

Chapter 2: Kaiwaia High  
  
The two girls sat on Amaya's bed chatting. It was 10:30 and neither were sleepy. "We start school tomorrow," Akemi sighed unhappily. Amaya shrugged and replied, "Yea, but tomorrow is also Thursday. Which means two more days until the weekend. And besides, we've only got a few months left anyway." Akemi didn't look convinced. "What have you got to be worried about? You've always had friends. If you just act like yourself, you won't be hated. Its fakes that people despise," Amaya told her sister.  
  
Akemi shook her head. "No, not that. I just would have liked more time to settle in, that's all. Not to have to get up tomorrow morning and go to school, but instead go walking around the estates. Enjoy myself, you know?" Amaya shrugged. "You've got a point."  
  
"Girls, time for bed!" Their father called from their parent's bedroom, down the hallway.  
  
Their mother peeked her head through the door. "You heard your father. Time for bed girls. How are you liking your new rooms? Enjoying yourselves?" Amaya nodded vigorously. Before she could stop herself, Akemi blurted out, "Mom, when did we get so rich?" Their mother gave her a knowing look and sat down on the bed besides them.  
  
"Oh Akemi, we've always been rich. We just never told you. You see, your father and I wanted you to grow up knowing values, just like any other middle class family. We didn't want you thinking better of yourselves. That's never why you've seen this place before now. And you wouldn't have, if not for your grandfather's illness. When we found out, we had a decision to make. We would both reveal this truth to you and help your grandfather as long as we can, or to ignore it and turn away, after all he's done. It was time for us to support him the way he did us."  
  
She kissed both of her daughters on the forehead. "Alright, now both of you hop into bed." Akemi bid them goodnight and walked back to her room through the bathroom. 'Even though this isn't my bed, it feels like it.' She thought happily. 'No,' She corrected herself mentally, 'It's better than my bed.' Sighing in a bittersweet tone, she slipped underneath the covers, hoping that her first day at Kaiwaia high school would be a good one.

* * *

"Amaya, come on. Get up, we have to get going to school. You're the one with the license, remember?" Akemi stood at the end of her older sister's bed, pleading.  
  
"Not now. Later. I'm still sleeping," Amaya grumbled from underneath the covers. "Come on Amaya, just act your age! Why am I the one waking YOU up?" Akemi said irritably. She was already dressed and ready to leave. She liked her new uniform, which was much better than the old ugly ones she had been forced to wear at their old school. This uniform was a navy blue blouse and skirt. Amaya angrily threw one of her pillows at Akemi, who ducked. "Go away," She grumbled.  
  
"Well, I suppose I should. But then again, I could always take your laptop with me. I've been wanting to use it," She said slyly, quickly heading for her sister's desk. "I'M UP!" Amaya yelled, flying out of bed. She ran to her desk and grabbed her laptop. "No touchy," She said defensively. "I knew it'd work," Akemi said smiling as she left the room. Amaya shrugged and grabbed her uniform from the closet. Although the same color and basic design of hers was the same as her sisters, the style was quite different. The sleeves were down to her wrists, unlike Akemi's who's where short. Her skirt was long and reached the floor. She hastily put it on, checking her reflection in the mirror.  
  
Heh, good enough.  
  
"That's more like it. Now hurry," Akemi said, going to the bathroom to dry and brush her hair. Although the short length annoyed her at times, she was glad it dried quickly and combed easily. Amaya came in minutes later to do her hair, which she simply brushed, leaving it wavy. "Hurry up," Akemi said anxiously. "You've still gotta eat breakfast." "In a minute. I wanna make sure my hair doesn't go nuts later today. You know how frizzy it can get," Amaya replied. Akemi nodded, not quite listening. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get my bag and stuff. Ok?"  
  
"No, wait! Don't go! I don't remember where the dining room is!" Amaya yelled frantically. Akemi sighed. "Then hurry!" Amaya took one last look in the mirror, and the two were off towards the kitchens. They made their way into the dining room, where the meals were served. Surprisingly, nobody else was there. Akemi would have at least expected their parents, if not their grandfather.  
  
"Ooh, Toast!" Amaya said excitedly, grabbing a piece. She munched on it happily. "Hey, don't you want some?" She asked her younger sister. Akemi shook her head. "No," She replied, "I already ate. I had pancakes and sausage." Amaya almost dropped the piece of toast in her mouth.  
  
"What? How come I only get toast?" She said, finishing her 1st piece, grabbing a second. "Because," Akemi answered smugly, "I woke up on time. The early bird gets the worm you know." Amaya rose from her seat at the table. "Yea well, the second mouse gets the cheese. Bye, have fun WALKING." She grabbed her car keys and ran out the door without another word, toast still hanging from her mouth. Akemi ran out side after her. "Oh come on Amaya!" She yelled as her sister drove away. She narrowed her eyes. "Fine," She grumbled. "I WILL walk."  
  
Since it was the middle of December, the weather didn't make the walking conditions much better. The snow fell softly, but the wind was strong, blowing her hair in wisps. The snow melted on her nose, eyelashes and cheeks, eventually melting. Another strong breeze blew past her, giving her the chills. "Stupid Amaya. I'll get you for this," She muttered darkly.

* * *

By the time she got to school, she was freezing cold. Her legs, hands and arms seemed numb and unmovable. Akemi found her way to the office quickly, and Amaya was nowhere in sight. 'She's probably already in class. That jerk.' She thought angrily.  
  
"Welcome to Kaiwaia High. I'm sure you'll find this a wholesome, well founded school." An office secretary said smiling at her. Akemi smiled back, bashfully.  
  
The woman looked at her clipboard. "Hmm, lets see...you'll be in Class 1-D. If you'd just wait here a moment," She left to room promptly. Akemi sat nervously until she returned a few minutes later. A student stood beside her.  
  
"Miss Kamikara, this is Tohru Honda, also in Class 1-D. She'll show you around a bit, help you get used to the way things are done." Tohru smiled kindly. Akemi smiled bashfully and said, "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Akemi." She bowed politely. Tohru bowed back, graciously. Suddenly, she shot back up, eyes glowing.  
  
"Did you move in yesterday? Was that your moving van I saw?" She asked excitedly. Akemi laughed and nodded. "Yea, it probably was. I'm glad somebody knew I was coming. And even anticipated it. That's very flattering." Tohru gave her a heartwarming smile. "Come in, I'll show you our classroom. We don't want to be late."  
  
She grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs and onto the second floor, where their room was located. A small sign labeled '1-D' stood atop the door. "This is our room," Tohru said, leading her in. Two girls looked up from there desks and greeted Tohru. One had long black hair tied tightly in a braid down her back, the other with golden blonde hair that almost covered her blue eyes. "I'll introduce you to everyone. This is Saki Hanajima and Arisa Uotani. But they prefer to be called Hana and Uo."  
  
Uo smiled and answered with, "Hey, sup? You're the new kid?" Akemi nodded.  
  
"I'm Akemi Kamikara." She said, a bit nervously.  
  
"It's very nice to meet you Miss Kamikara. You have very nice electric signals," Hana answered in a monotonous voice, but still smiling. Tohru smiled and said, "See I knew you'd get along fine with them. You'll enjoy yourself here! Oh yes, you still have to meet Yuki. Hey Yuki, there's someone I'd like you to meet!"  
  
He walked over and smiled. "Oh Miss Honda, you're back. I hope you didn't get yourself into any trouble." She shook her head. "No, not at all. But as I said, I want you to meet our new student. Remember the moving van we say yesterday? It was hers! This is Akemi. Akemi, this is my friend Yuki Sohma." Akemi bowed and answered, "Its very nice to meet you."  
  
'Sohma? How do I know that name? It's so familiar. One of dad's business partners, perhaps?' She shook off the feeling and smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you as well. Tell me, where did you live before?" She smiled at the question, remembering her old house. "Near Okayama, but more rural. I must say, it's a pretty long way from here." Yuki nodded. "About 6 hours or so, huh?" Akemi nodded. "Yup. I fell asleep though, no worries there." Yuki gave a small laugh, and three girls suddenly pushed their way through the crowd that had surrounded them.  
  
"Listen whatever your name is, we're the Prince Yuki Fan club, and you're NOT to be talking to OUR Prince, ya hear?" One said. The other nodded.  
  
"Yea, he's ours!"  
  
"So back off!!!"  
  
"Unless all three of you want electric waves running through you like water, I suggest you leave our new student alone." Hana came up behind them, her eyes glowing with psychic aura.  
  
The three turned, looking panic-struck, then scampered away as quickly as possible. Akemi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much." Akemi said gratefully. Hana nodded.  
  
"Don't take it personally," Uo added, "They just go nuts whenever someone starts talking to Yuki."  
  
"Did they say they were the 'Prince Yuki' Fan club?" Akemi asked. They laughed slightly, sweat dropping. "That happens to be the nickname the upperclassman have dubbed me with," he said modestly. Akemi smiled. "Well, it's easy to see why the chose to call YOU a prince. You seem quite popular among everyone." He smiled gently. "Well thank you very much, you're too kind, really."  
  
"What's going on that everyone's crowding around the damn door?" An irritable voice called. Akemi turned her head to see an unpleasant looking boy with bright orange hair. "What, you can't stand the attention going to someone else once in a while?" Yuki said annoyed.  
  
"Speak for yourself, you damn rat! You're the one with the fan club!" He shot back. The boy stopped when he saw Akemi. "Who the hell are you?" he asked. "Akemi. Akemi Kamikara, I just moved her from-" She stopped when she saw him walk away. "Okayama." She finished quietly.  
  
"Don't mind Kyo. It takes him a while to warm up to new people. Although he's still a fool in my book," Yuki said, shooting him an irritated look. "Yuki and Kyo are cousins. As you can see, they don't along very well," Tohru explained.  
  
"Well, it was nice to meet him," Akemi said blatantly, obviously lying. "Don't worry. Orange top has social problems," Uo said, patting her shoulder. Akemi turned to smile but couldn't help a small feeling of rejection.  
  
Within minutes, the teacher came in and got everyone in order. Much to Kyo's dismay, she was seated directly behind him. 'I don't want a stupid new kid sitting behind me,' He thought irritably. 'She's just another stupid girl that's gonna cling all over me and crap. Ugh, I hate this school.'  
  
"Miss Kamikara, if you'd like to say a word."  
  
The teacher motioned for her to come up to the front of the classroom. She humbly stood up and went to the front of the classroom. "Hi, I'm Akemi Kamikara and I just got here yesterday. I used to live near Okayama, but now I live at my grandfather's house," she specifically chose her words, careful not to use the word 'estate'. She didn't want them to think her rich and snobby.  
  
"My grandfather is sick, so we've come to take care of him. I'm assuming we'll stay here even if he does get better-"  
  
"We don't care about your damn family problems."  
  
"Oh shut up Orange Top," Uo muttered.  
  
Akemi looked around nervously and finished, "err...anyways, I hope to make friends with all of you and will enjoy going to school here." With that she sat down uncomfortably, scared of what Kyo would say if she opened her mouth again.

* * *

"You know, you're really starting to piss me off!" Kyo stood up, yelling at Yuki. It was lunch and Kyo had finally had it with his cousin. Yet, Yuki kept his calm demeanor.  
  
"Stop embarrassing yourself, you stupid cat," He answered. Kyo clenched his fists, once again ready to fight. Yuki stood up as well. "I don't have time for this," He said, leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.  
  
Kyo continued to stand, still shaking with anger. Before she could stop herself, Akemi blurted out, "Why did he call you a stupid cat?" He looked crossly and snapped, "because he's an ass." She ignored his foul mood and said softly, "I don't think you're stupid."  
  
He looked at her, amazed. She barely knew him, how could she say that? Especially when everyone else thought him to be a moron? Before he could reply, she had slipped past him and was gone.

* * *

It was the end of the day and Akemi was in her final class: Physical Education. "I hate this class," She muttered to Tohru as they made their way to the locker room. "Don't worry," Tohru answered, "We do lots of fun stuff. We've actually got quite a few upperclassmen here with us." Akemi nodded in reply.  
  
"Akemi, I have a question," Tohru said. "Shoot," Akemi answered, continuing to walk. Tohru looked bashful and said, "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but why do you have a short sleeved uniform in the middle of winter. What I mean to say is...aren't you cold?"  
  
Akemi shook her head. "Nah. And I have to wear this. Certain fabrics irritate the skin on my arms and makes me breakout in a rash all over them. It just so happens that the uniforms are made from material that bugs me. So, I had to get a uniform with short sleeves. But it's ok. I don't' get cold. I'm used to it anyway. Winter's my favorite season."  
  
"Akemi!" Amaya yelled, running happily to her sister. Akemi groaned. Not here, not now.  
  
"Why are you here?" She asked her. Amaya smile was almost as bright as her hair.  
  
"Because," She answered, "I'm in your gym class silly! They didn't have enough room for me with the other 3rd years, so I ended up with you 1st years." Akemi nodded. Tohru looked at the two eagerly.  
  
"So, you want a ride home?" Amaya asked. Akemi narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so you've decided to give me a ride now?"  
  
Amaya sweatdropped. "Yea well, I'm sorry about that. I forgot about that. But hey, let me give you a ride. I betcha it's not as much fun walking." Akemi shrugged. "Sure, why not. Go ahead."  
  
"Cool, I'll pick you up after school."  
  
"Fine."  
  
She left, happily skipping into the locker room. Tohru turned to Akemi, excited.  
  
"Akemi, that's amazing! You've made friends with an upperclassmen on your first day." Akemi shook her head. "Nah, I've known her all 15 years of my life." Tohru looked at her quizzically. "She's my sister," Akemi explained. Suddenly, the teacher blew the whistle.  
  
"Ok everyone, lets get ready to begin. Today we'll be running some laps and doing some relays," He explained. Akemi groaned. She hated laps. And relays. And anything otherwise involving running. Amaya on the other hand was overjoyed.  
  
"Relays! We're doing relays! Booyah, Akemi, I'm gonna kick your ass!" She cried happily. Akemi sighed. 'How can she enjoy this crap?' she thought to herself.  
  
"Ok, line up please. I'm going to number you off into teams of three," the teacher said. Luckily, Akemi ended up on a team with familiar faces. Kyo didn't look pleased, but Uo smiled.  
  
"I'm glad I didn't have to be on a team with orange top alone," She said. "Shut your damn mouth," Kyo yelled crossly. Akemi sweatdropped. This wasn't going well. How would they work as a team? "Guys, I'm telling you now, I'm horrible at running. I usually trip," Akemi warned them.  
  
Uo shrugged and laughed. "You can't be much worse than me, I guarantee that." Kyo stopped paying attention to their conversation and glared at Yuki, who glared back. "Do they always rival each other?" Akemi asked doubtfully.  
  
Uo nodded sadly. "Unfortunately."  
  
"Aright, on your marks...get set...GO!" The first group took off, Yuki and Kyo neck and neck, running at the speed of light.  
  
"Woa, they ARE fast." Akemi said impressed. Uo nodded.  
  
The next group was ready to take off. Akemi stretched her legs a bit, but doubted it would help her. She would be last no matter what she did. "Hold on a second!" Amaya yelled, running back into the locker room. She came out seconds later with her inhaler. After taking a deep gulp of it, she set it down and bent down to get ready.  
  
"On your marks...get set...GO!"

* * *

"Well, at least you didn't fall TOO hard," Amaya said, trying to be optimistic. Akemi sat in the nurse's office with a large icepack on her head.  
  
"Shut up."

* * *

Lola: Well, what did you think of it? Good. Enough? Ok. I'm taking that as a yes. And please, if you do read this story, REVIEW. Because if not, I don't know if anyone's reading it and then I try really hard to change stuff to make it likeable and I get all sad n' stuff.  
  
Paris: That's cuz' you're a loser.  
  
Lola: **hits her with a metal frying pan** Can it. Anyway, thank you for reading. Please review! 


	3. Riding in Cars with Amaya

Lola: Well would you look at that. Another chapter. TMM, bring in THE DISCLAIMER!  
  
TMM: **hauls a giant sign reading 'disclaimer' into the room** Ok. Lola-Gurl doesn't own Fruits Baskets. She doesn't own Amaya (who belongs to Paris- Rose) She does, however own Akemi Kamikara, and well, all the other Kamikara's too, I guess.  
  
Paris: Don't I get some ownership over them?  
  
TMM& Lola: NO.  
  
Paris: Oh. Damn.  
  
Lola: Oh, and since Paris-Rose so heavily requested it- **smacks her with a solid gold frying pan** I always try to answer requests. Thank you, fans.  
  
Paris: XP Ow.  
  
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL  
  
Chapter 3: Riding in Cars with Amaya  
  
"Ok, come on everybody, get in if you want a ride, the bus is leaving!" Amaya called. Akemi sweatdropped. "Don't be an idiot. Act your age," She commented. Amaya shrugged.  
  
"It's very nice of you to give us a ride Miss Amaya," Yuki said politely. Tohru nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yes, thank you so much! We really appreciate it! You're very kind, both of you."  
  
Amaya smiled. "No problem. Ok, guys, get in. Hey, orange top, you coming to?" Kyo turned and glared at Amaya. "Don't call me that, bitch," He hissed, seething. "Mild Language child! You're only a 1st year mind you. Don't go around pissing me off," Amaya warned, waggling her finger in his face. "Get in."  
  
Without another warning, Kyo reluctantly got into the backseat of the car with Yuki and Tohru. "Seatbelts please!" Amaya said brightly, putting hers on. Akemi felt extremely embarrassed to have her older sister acting like such a weirdo, especially on the first day. 'Does she REALLY wanna lose me the friends I have?' She thought hopelessly. "That means you too, Akemi! It's dangerous in the front seat." She nonchalantly put it on and turned to Amaya. "Go already," She said.  
  
Grinning like a maniac, Amaya pressed hard on the pedal, sending them flying down the road. "I love driving!" Amaya cheered. In the backseat, Tohru clung to the back of Akemi's. Kyo clutched the door for dear life. Yuki, who sat in the middle, simply sitting as if nothing was happening. Suddenly, Amaya stepped on the breaks, sending them all flying forward.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Why'd you stop?"  
  
"What the hell was that?!"  
  
Amaya stared angrily out her window at another car. "Fucking bastard cut me off! Oooh, he'll pay, he will." "Amaya, language!" Akemi yelled instinctively. "Oh yea, sorry. Earmuffs on children."  
  
The four others blinked. So did Amaya. "err...yea. Sorry. Never mind. I've got an idea. Orange haired guy, start wailing."  
  
"Hell no!" Kyo protested, but shut up when he saw the dangerous aura surrounding Amaya.  
  
"Do it."  
  
"Ok!"  
  
With that, he began to whimper in pain, quietly at first, then louder and louder. "Sounds realistic enough," Akemi shrugged. Amaya pulled up next to the other car, motioning for them to roll down their window. "Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking down your license plate. You see, I've got some minors in this car, and your negligence just hurt one of them."  
  
Kyo wailed louder.  
  
"Bull shit! We didn't do anything!" The man in the other car spat.  
  
Amaya smiled. "Maybe not intentionally. But you'll be paying for the doctor's bills. Go to hell and have a nice day." With that, she drove off at 70 miles per hour, speeding down the empty street.  
  
As soon as the other car was a dot in the distance, everyone broke out in laughter. "That was great!" Akemi said, laughing hysterically. Tohru nodded. "It was. That was very clever Amaya." "Thank you, thank you."  
  
Even Kyo had a small smirk upon his face. Akemi noted this as well. "I think Kyo was a wonderful actor," she added. He shrugged.  
  
"So where exactly do you guys live?" Amaya asked, driving.  
  
"The other side of town." The three said simultaneously. Amaya sweatdropped. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"  
  
"We were too busy teaching that guy a lesson, remember?"  
  
Amaya laughed slightly. "Oh yea," She said. "Ok, I'll turn around." She made a quick U turn, causing the three in the back to topple onto one another, despite the seatbelts. "Sorry," She commented as she took off fast down the road again.  
  
When at last she dropped them off, Tohru thanked her again. "We really appreciate it. It's much better than walking. Thank you, thank you!" Amaya smiled. "No problem. But are you sure you wanna be dropped of here, in front of a bunch of woods? I mean, I could drive you close. I don't want to make you walk."  
  
Tohru shook her head. "Oh no, we're fine. This is all Sohma property. We're safe here. Thank you again!"  
  
They waved goodbye and watched the three walk down the path again.  
  
Akemi slumped in her seat. "You know they think you're crazy," She mumbled. Amaya shrugged in reply. "You're point?"  
  
Akemi looked at her harshly. "It's all a game to you isn't it? To show off in front of people. To play the fool." Amaya turned the keys and shut off the car. "Hold up here. What's this all about?"  
  
Akemi refused to look at her sister. Amaya sat patiently. "Well? What's up with all this?"  
  
"It's just that..." She began, but stopped. She had no intentions of hurting Amaya's feelings, or her pride. "You attracted a lot of attention to you today at school. And you dragged me into it. Don't you see it? Everybody likes you already? I'm just your dumb little sister who's too plain to be noticed." She looked out the window, away from Amaya.  
  
"Hey. You got friends today. Three of them just got out of the car." Akemi shook her head. "No, they're YOUR friends now. You had to go around acting the part with you're conceited attitude and get them to like you. What happens when people don't. What then Amaya?" Akemi looked at her fiercely, surprising her. She had never heard her sister speak so harshly.  
  
"Don't get jealous. Be happy for what you've got," Amaya said quietly.  
  
"Yea, a sister like you. I'm lucky to be your shadow." She mumbled, too quiet for Amaya to hear. "Just get home. I've got homework to do."

* * *

Akemi sat in her bedroom reading quietly, headphone's streaming soft classical music. Her foot tapped the rhythm as she hummed quietly to herself. She was trying to forget the incident in the car, hoping Amaya wouldn't bring it up. She had never meant to lose it with her sister, but she hated the circumstances. Amaya was as bright and beautiful as a peacock, while Akemi looked so plain and ordinary. Nothing like her sister.  
  
A knock interrupted her thoughts as she looked up.  
  
"Who's there?" She asked unconcernedly. "It's Amaya. Can I come in?"  
  
Akemi didn't answer for a second, but finally answered with a simple, "Whatever."  
  
Amaya opened the door and closed it quietly. Akemi turned off her music and sat up. The two sisters stared at each other for a moment, in awkward silence.  
  
"I know you're pissed off at me."  
  
Akemi shook her head. "Not pissed off. Just...upset. I'm just tired of being the one in the shadow."  
  
"You wanna know the truth kid?" Amaya said, flopping down on her bed.  
  
"What?" Akemi replied, sounding glum.  
  
"The friends you made today seem a hell of a lot nicer than the girls that have been following me around. You know, they won't stop talking about that Yuki kid. The one with the silvery hair. They adore him, yet he doesn't really know they exist. You on the other hand, have become friends with him within your first day. These girls have gone to school with him for god knows how long. And what about orangey? He's not to versatile, I bet you anything. You made friends with him. And all the other people as well. You've made better friends, TRUER friends just being ordinary, than I have being extraordinary."  
  
Akemi was silent after her sister's 'speech'. Could Amaya be right?  
  
"Although," Amaya said thoughtfully, "you're more extraordinary than I'll ever be. You need to learn how to spread those wings more, show 'em off. You've got talent, so show them. You don't have to be so modest all the time."  
  
"How can you say that on the first day of school?" Akemi said doubtfully.  
  
Amaya shrugged. "Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Hell, maybe not even next week. But just...think about it." With that, she squeezed her sister's shoulder and left the room.  
  
Akemi sat in somber silence, thinking about her sister's words. Could She? Would She? Being like Amaya was impossible, that was for sure. But could she show everyone her talents, and still, be herself?

* * *

"Shigure, we're home!" Tohru called as they walked through the door, coats covered in snow.  
  
"Well, welcome back." He said smiling. "Did you learn anything important today?"  
  
"Never accept a ride home from that crazy bitch ever again," Kyo said, walking up the stairs.  
  
"And who would that be?" Shigure asked, confused.  
  
"Amaya. She's a 3rd year. She and her sister Akemi just moved here yesterday, according to Akemi. She's in our class. As for Amaya, I'm not sure," Tohru reported.  
  
Shigure raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you don't say," He said scratching his chin thoughtfully. 'More high school girls!' His thoughts sang happily inside his head. He smiled. "And where did they move from?"  
  
"Okayama," Yuki said, throwing his school bag down on the table and seating himself at it.  
  
"I see. And what's their surname?" Shigure said, growing more excited.  
  
Tohru blinked. "Um...I don't quite remember. Do you Yuki?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he replied.  
  
"I wonder if Kyo knows," Tohru said, making her way up the stairs.  
  
"That idiot cat doesn't know anything," Yuki muttered disdainfully.  
  
Tohru came back down stairs, looking disappointed.  
  
"Did he know?" Shigure asked. Tohru shook her head. "Nope."  
  
Shigure shrugged. "Well, looks like they're going to have to come over after school. Would you like to invite them, Tohru?"  
  
"Really? Would you let me?" Tohru asked, clasping her hands hopefully. Shigure nodded. "Of course."  
  
Yuki looked at him distrustfully. "This isn't just your way of meeting more girls, is it?" Shigure looked him embarrassed. He put his hand against his chest dramatically and said, "It hurts Yuki. Can you not trust me?"  
  
"No."  
  
Shigure sighed. "Well, at least I tried. In any case, tell them that they're both welcome to come tomorrow."  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean...what if they find out about the curse?" Yuki said softly.  
  
Shigure shook his head. "Oh no, I'm sure we'll have no problems. Miss Uotani and Miss Hanajima didn't find out, did they?"  
  
"No," Yuki answered icily, "But they almost did. Five times."  
  
"Oh Yuki, don't over dramatize things."  
  
"FIVE TIMES Shigure. FIVE. I'm not dramatizing," He said seriously.  
  
Shigure shrugged. "We'll just have to be careful, that's all. More careful than last time. I do hope Kyo gets along with them better than he does Miss Uotani. Otherwise, we might have a bit of a problem."  
  
Tohru laughed nervously. This might be harder than they thought. But then again, she wanted Shigure to meet both of them. Shigure gave her an encouraging smile when he read the look on her face. "Don't you worry your head, Tohru. Things will be fine."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Akemi gathered her courage and knocked on the door. It was silent for a moment until she heard "Who is it?" from the other side of the door.  
  
"It's Akemi," She said, throat feeling like sandpaper.  
  
"Oh, do come in."  
  
She cautiously opened the door and stepped in. "Good evening grandfather. Are you going to come to dinner?" She asked.  
  
He looked up from his view out the window. "Oh, no Akemi. I've already had my dinner. As an old man, I need to eat different things than you."  
  
Akemi felt idiotic, being talked to by her grandfather as if she was a child.  
  
"I figured," She said smiling. "Um, grandfather, I was wondering something," She said uneasily.  
  
"Yes, what is it?" He asked, his awkward smile once again on his face.  
  
"Well, it sounds silly, but do you think that one of these days, I could look around the estates? You know, see other people and such. My father told me that there's lots of room to garden. And I-" she broke off uncomfortably.  
  
"Ah," he said knowingly. "I see. You're father told me you were quite the little landscaper. Never fear. I will make sure you have your own garden. He was right when he told you there was lots of room. Unfortunately, now is not the time to be planting. During the winter, it is as barren as Antarctica, if I don't say so myself. But come spring, I promise I will go with you to find the perfect spot. Does that sound good?" He asked.  
  
Akemi nodded. "Yes, that sounds wonderful. Thank you very much," She said gratefully. His smile grew wider. "You're very welcome. But until that time comes, I must ask you not to go wandering around passed the main house. It's true, all others who live on this estate are related to the Kamikara family, but many of them you've probably never met. Besides that, it's very easy to get lost, and I would be very heartbroken if anything were to happen to you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"  
  
"Yes, absolutely. I promise I won't go wandering around grandfather. It's too cold to do so anyway. I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to that," she said.  
  
He gave a laugh. "Thank you Akemi. Now run along and eat. I'm sure you're very hungry." She nodded and bowed. "Thank you very much," She said, leaving the room.  
  
Closing the door, she smiled. 'He isn't as scary as I thought he was,' she thought happily. 'He's very kind, and generous. To let me have my own gardening space, I can't wait!' With that, she ran off towards the dining hall to join the rest of her family.

* * *

Lola: Oh yea! Another chapter! I SO TOTALLY ROCK, DUDE!  
  
Paris: XP (Still out from the solid gold frying pan) Urgh....  
  
Lola: **snickers** You REALLY deserved that one, you know. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Anyway, please review! Any questions, comments or concerns can go there! Thankies! - - 


	4. Visiting Shigure

Lola: New chapter! Yay! **does the happy dance**

Paris: **coughs **Lola, people are watching you. You're embarrassing yourself.

Lola: .....am I? Or are YOU not?

Paris: Baka.

Lola: NEKO!

Paris: That's no insult.

Lola: Yes it is. Cat's are stupid. **is smacked upside the head by Kyo's shoe** XP Ow.

Paris: Um...TMM? Disclaimer?

TMM: RIGHT-O!! Lola gurl doesn't own Fruits Basket! She does own Akemi Kamikara and the majority of that family (they come along later) Amaya Kamikara belongs to Paris-Rose! Please review and have a nice day!

Lola: With that, on with the fic!!!!  
  
Key:

'thoughts go in these'

"This is talking silly!"

* * *

Above are the 'between scenes' bars  
  
Chapter 4: Visiting Shigure  
  
"Amaya, aren't you hungry dear?" Their mother said at dinner.  
  
Amaya sat picking at her food. She had hardly eaten anything. Instead of her regular, pleasant look , she wore a troubled expression. She slowly shook her head no in reply to her mothers question.  
  
"At least eat a few more peas."  
  
The small family felt uncomfortable, after all, they were in a giant dining room with only four of them. It seemed as if it could fit 20. "Why don't we see anyone else around here? Are we like...quarantined or something?" Akemi asked listlessly, trying to break the silence.  
  
"No, everyone is busy. Your grandfather doesn't eat with the family very often, and other than that, we're the only ones who live here in the main house," Their father explained. Akemi dropped her fork.  
  
"Seriously? In this huge house?" She asked, amazed. He nodded. "That's what I said. You're grandfather is a internal person. He likes only the closest of family members near him. Everyone else lives in the other houses."  
  
"I know. I mean...why don't we see them. Shouldn't we get some big welcome and stuff?" Akemi asked again. Her father shrugged. "As I said, people are busy. They've got their own lives to worry about. And as far as I know, we're the only ones sending our children to a public school. Everyone else is using the advantage of our family's wealth and sending their kids to private schools."  
  
"We want you to live outside of that. Even though we sent you to a private school before all this, we wanted you to get a taste of what it's like otherwise. You can't fool us, you were both unhappy there at Aikoden. We didn't want to put you through another school like that." Their mother said sweetly. Akemi nodded, poking at her remaining food. She was full and content. Yawning, she stood up.  
  
"Can I go to my room? I'm feeling sleepy." She said. Her parents nodded.  
  
"May I be excused as well? I'm not feeling very well," Amaya said, also standing  
  
"I Suppose." Her mother said, giving her a disappointed look. "Although, I wish you'd eat more. You worry me, not getting enough to eat."  
  
Amaya gave a small smile. "Don't worry, I had a big snack after school. I'm just not very hungry."  
  
With that the two girls left.  
  
There was a bit of an uneasy silence between the two sisters as they walked down the hallway to their bedrooms. Akemi couldn't help but feel guilty, since she knew she had probably caused this sudden change in Amaya's mood.  
  
"I'm sorry," She said meekly.  
  
"For what?" Amaya asked, stopping. Akemi turned around, head hung low.  
  
"I made you upset. I didn't mean to...I'm sorry." She fumbled with her words as she twisted her hands together. Amaya gave her an odd look and laughed.  
  
"Nah, It's not you're fault. Don't think that. I've just been thinking. I'm not so sure this was for the best. You notice the way grandfather never comes out? What good are we to him, helping him 'get better' and 'being supportive' if we don't get to see him hardly?"  
  
Akemi shrugged. "I went to visit him before dinner." Amaya raised her eyebrows, surprised. "You did? Why? To risk getting in trouble?"  
  
Akemi looked at her quizzically. "Trouble? Why?"  
  
"Well, I was told that I shouldn't visit very often. Grandfather doesn't like to be disturbed.  
  
Akemi's heart stopped as she heard her sister say this. She had been told to visit her grandfather whenever she felt like it. Why? Why had Amaya been told the complete opposite? Was it because of their difference in personality? Was she so much more mellow than Amaya that she got the special treatment? Whatever the reason, Akemi decided not to tell Amaya.  
  
"Yea, I was told the same. I guess I wasn't thinking. Silly me." She smiled and headed quickly to her room. She shut the door and sat on her bed. Why would her parents tell their children two different things?

* * *

"Akemi!" Tohru called happily as she entered the classroom the next morning.  
  
"Good morning Tohru. Good morning Yuki." She smiled at the two.  
  
"It's nice to see you. I'm surprised you found your way around the school so quickly," Yuki said, giving a pleasant smile. Akemi returned the smile and said, "Well, Tohru did an excellent job showing me around yesterday." Tohru blushed.  
  
"Oh, no really. I'm not all that good at it. I was just happy to help." She said modestly.  
  
"Hey, new girl."  
  
Akemi turned to see Kyo standing casually by the door.  
  
"She has a name, stupid cat. You might want to learn it." Yuki said, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Aw shut up you damn rat! If you want me to, I'd be happy to kick your ass right here in front of everybody!" Kyo spat back, clenching his fists.  
  
"Please stop, I didn't mean to start an argument! It's alright that Kyo calls me 'the new girl'. After all I am." She laughed nervously. Both slowly calmed themselves as Tohru sighed in relief. They had avoided yet another fight.  
  
"It's Akemi, by the way." Akemi noted to Kyo, who rolled his eyes.  
  
"Just tell your sister she's a damn crazy driver." He said, walking away. Akemi smiled and said softly, "will do."  
  
"Akemi, would you and Amaya like to come over after school? We'd be gracious." Tohru said. Akemi smiled and answered, "Of course. But what do you mean by 'We'?"  
  
"She means herself, Kyo and I. And Shigure of course," Yuki answered.  
  
Akemi raised her eyebrows. "You guys all LIVE together?" She asked, unable to believe it. Yuki nodded. "Tohru isn't related to us, but she stays there with us since her mother died. Shigure, my older cousin, is my guardian, as well as Kyo's, so we live with him."  
  
Akemi sat down in a chair. "Wow. I expected you guys to live in the same neighborhood but, jeez. That's...wow. But sure, I'll be glad to go with you. It'll be fun meeting this Shigure person." She smiled.

* * *

"Nope, sorry, can't go," Amaya said when Akemi asked her at lunch. "But why?" Akemi asked, disappointed. "Because," Amaya replied.  
  
"Because why?" Akemi asked.  
  
"Because because!" Amaya said.  
  
"Because Because Why?" Akemi asked.  
  
"Because Because Because!" Amaya said, voice growing.  
  
"Amaya, I don't have time for this!" She said, sounding annoyed.  
  
"I have prior arrangements. Now go away, I'd like to eat without you breathing down my neck." Akemi glared at her as she walked away.  
  
"It's a no go. She's made 'prior arrangements'" She emphasized the last to words. Tohru sighed. "Alright. She'll have to come next time. But you'll still come, won' t you?"  
  
"Of course I will, don't worry!" Akemi said in an assuring tone. "That's wonderful, thank you! Shigure will be very happy!" Tohru said cheerfully, clapping her hands delightedly. "Did I just hear that Akemi is coming after school?" Yuki said, politely joining them. Tohru nodded. "Yup. She's going to walk home with us. Amaya can't come though, she's busy."  
  
"Well, we'll see you after school then," Yuki said smiling. Inside, he was worried about the outcome. If any of them slipped up, they'd be in big trouble.

* * *

"Well come on in, don't be shy! Shigure's probably in his office!" Tohru pushed Akemi through the door.  
  
"Make yourself at home," Yuki smiled.  
  
"Yea, go ahead, do what you want. Just don't break the house and stuff. Shigure'll have a fit," Kyo muttered, trudging through the door, kicking off his shoes.  
  
"Are you hungry Akemi? I've got some rice balls sitting in the kitchen," Tohru said pleasantly.  
  
Akemi blushed; she felt so awkward, everyone fussing over her so much. "Uh, well, I don't know. If it's any trouble, than no-"  
  
Tohru shook her head vigorously. "No no no, it's no trouble at all! I'll go get them, you sit down and get comfortable," She said, rushing in to the kitchen.  
  
Akemi looked around as she sat down at the small living room table. The walls were decorated with few pictures and paintings that hung on the wall in various places.  
  
"Well well, seems everyone's back-" Shigure stopped when he saw Akemi. Immediately, he walked over to her and gave her a flashing smile. "Well hello, you must be the new student in Kyo, Yuki and Tohru's class. The one from Okayama."  
  
Akemi nodded and smiled. "Yes. I guess they told you about me."  
  
"Why certainly! Now don't you have a sister?" He asked, looking around. Akemi laughed. "I do, but she couldn't make it. She made other plans, I guess. Although I can't imagine what, since today's only our third day in town." Shigure gave a small shrug. "Well, I guess you'll have to come over again and again until she comes with. You're welcome anytime, of course."  
  
"Ok everyone, I've got rice balls!" She set them on the table pleasantly and sat next to Akemi. "Where are Yuki and Kyo?" Akemi asked, looking around.  
  
"I'm not sure," Tohru said, standing up.  
  
"I'll go look for them, Shigure said, standing up as well. The two collided instantly, knocking Tohru to the floor. There was a puff of smoke and a small popping noise.  
  
Upstairs, both Kyo and Yuki winced.  
  
"A...a dog?" Akemi said uncertainly. "You didn't tell me you had a dog."  
  
Tohru opened her eyes to see none other than a transformed Shigure in front of her. 'Oh no. We can't let Akemi know. I'll have to make an excuse of some kind'  
  
"Oh Spot, there you are! And look, you're covered in dust, bad dog, bad dog! You left dirt everywhere! Come on, I'll wash you up!" She grabbed Shigure by the scruff of the neck and pulled him out of view.  
  
Kyo and Yuki came tumbling down the stairs to distract their guest. "Are you comfortable Miss Kamikara? Everything good? Try one of the rice balls, they're great!" Yuki said in a hurry, stuffing one in her mouth.  
  
Akemi chewed and said, "ifsh wbeby goobf!" Kyo raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked her. She swallowed and said sheepishly, "It's very good." Kyo nodded nonchalantly and replied, "Yea, Tohru's a good cook and all. Better than that damn rat over there."  
  
"Well at least I know my weaknesses and don't try over and over, embarrassing myself," Yuki shot back coldly. "Stupid Cat," He added under his breath.  
  
"Alright, that's it rat boy, I'm gonna beat you THIS time!!!" Kyo said, grabbing Yuki by the collar, forcing him up. Yuki shoved him off. "We don't have time for this, moron," He muttered. 'But if it will save time for Shigure and Miss Honda, it might do us some good,' he considered as an afterthought. "Alright," he said, a small smirk appearing on his face, matching Kyo's, "if you want to embarrass yourself in front of an audience."  
  
"Then lets go!" Kyo said, firing a blow at Yuki's head. Sighing, Yuki caught his fist and flipped him over onto his back. He then twisted his arm and said, "call mercy when you want to except defeat." Within a seconds time Kyo yelled 'MERCY YOU DAMN RAT!' and stomped off. Yuki straightened himself up and smiled at Akemi. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sure it's quite an embarrassment."  
  
Akemi shook her head, "No, not at all. It's just..." she bit her lip. "I hope he'll be alright." Yuki smiled. "Don't worry, he's fine. The idiot is just going to sulk on the roof as usual." Another loud popping noise was suddenly heard. "What was that?" Akemi asked looking around.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. I'm going to go find Tohru and assist her. She's probably having some trouble with Spot." With that he left Akemi alone in the room.

* * *

"Hey," Akemi said meekly. Kyo looked over at her, then turned his head away from her. "What the hell do you want?" He asked sharply.  
  
Ignoring this, Akemi stood on the rooftop and began to walk towards him. "I just figured you didn't want to be alone up here-"  
  
"Yea well, you figured wrong so just leave me alone!" He snapped. Clenching her fists, she decided to be stubborn and sat down next to him.  
  
"Everyone says that. No one really wants to be alone. Inside, they regret every minute they waste." She said matter-of-factly, looking at him. He folded his arms and replied, "You're stubborn aren't you?"  
  
She shrugged. "I guess. When I want to be."  
  
They sat in an awkward silence, until Akemi suddenly said, "You know, I've noticed, Yuki always anticipates your first move. You always open with a punch. If you were to plant your foot behind his ankle, he wouldn't be able to move back and avoid your blows anymore. Besides, then you catch him off guard." Kyo looked at her confused. Akemi blushed and quickly recovered by saying, "well, not like I'm an expert fighter or anything. I'm sure my opinion seems ludicrous to you, so you can just tell me to shut up if you want."  
  
Instead of doing so, Kyo asked, "How do you know so much about fighting?" Akemi shrugged. "Well, Amaya and I learned martial arts as kids. She's pretty good, but doesn't fight that often anymore. She nearly gets an asthma attack every time." "What about you? How good of a fighter are you?" He asked. Akemi blushed in modesty and replied, "I dunno. I'm not all that good I suppose. Nothing compared to you or Yuki. I've only beaten Amaya a few times, but that was by luck." Kyo stood up, surprising Akemi. "Well, come on, show me how good you are."  
  
Akemi raised her eyebrows. "You want to fight me?" She asked uncertainly. "Yea, come on. Don't be scared." She stood up and looked down. "What if we fall off the roof?" "You idiot! I didn't mean here! Even I know better than to fight on a steep roof in the winter!"  
  
He jumped down off the roof and landed casually on his feet. 'Amazing,' Akemi thought heading for the ladder. "You're such a girl. Going for the ladder." He got into a fighting stance. "Yea, and maybe you didn't notice, but I don't take offense to that," Akemi said smirking. She readied herself, knowing Kyo to take the first move.  
  
"Begin."

* * *

Sorry to cut off there. I know, it's mean. I'm sorry. But I didn't want to continue on and have a REALLY long chapter. The fight will happen in the next chapter, I promise. In the meantime, review and I'll give you a shiny object!

LOLA-GURL


	5. Change is good, right?

Lola: Voila! A new chapter! I'm amazing, huh?  
  
Paris: ahem You're forgetting something.  
  
Lola: Whoops. You're right. I figured that shiny objects are great, but SHARP AND POINTY shiny objects are even better. So, to all who reviewed (Paris-Rose, MiniMi, XPinay and Ihuntathraeil) You can pick a prize out of my erm...basket o' fun!   
  
TMM: Disclaimer.  
  
Lola: Oh yea, do it, TMM!  
  
TMM: Lola-Gurl doesn't own Fruits Baskets, but she does own Akemi Kamikara and company, except Amaya who belongs to Paris Rose. Happy?  
  
Lola: Yea. That's good. I'd like to warn you that I suck at fight scenes. Really, they totally suck. I can see it in my head, but describing it....well, it doesn't go so well. This chapter is...sorta weird, I'm warning you. You may find it well, stupid. You'll have to wait and see how things fit in later. I'd also like to say thank you to all who reviewed (and I hope you like your weapons...err I mean 'prizes o' fun'. Thanks so much for all your support!  
  
Bright And Beautiful  
  
Chapter 5: Change is good, right?  
  
Akemi had predicted right. Kyo had completely disregarded her advice...and made the first move. Urging forward, he swung his right arm around in attempt to grab Akemi's wrist. She stepped backwards and instead grabbed his. She grinned slightly when he saw this. She twisted his arm backward behind him and held it in this position briefly, before letting go. Shaking out his arm, Kyo approached her from the left and knocked into her shoulder. Surprised, Akemi fell backwards but stayed on her feet.  
  
"You didn't think I was going to go easy on you because you were a girl, right?" Kyo said, smirking. Returning with a grin, Akemi shook her head.  
  
"Not at all."  
  
She charged forward and kicked high, grazing his right shoulder. Then Kyo did something Akemi didn't expect: He promptly placed his left foot behind hers and pushed hard against her shoulders, sending her toppling to the ground.  
  
Sitting up, Akemi coughed slightly. "Congratulations," she said, getting up and dusting of her pants (which she was thankful for changing into before coming over)  
  
"You're weak," he commented teasingly. Akemi shrugged. "Well, yea, that's true, but you followed my advice all the same. It definitely caught me off guard. I told you I wasn't a very good fighter." Kyo shook his head.  
  
"No, that's not it. You're pretty good. You've got good form; you just need some help that's all. I want to see how good your sister is. It'd feel good to beat her too." Akemi smiled and nodded. "Kyo, does this means...we're friends?"  
  
Kyo was still for a moment, then said hesitantly, "You wanna be friends with someone like me? I'm sure that damn rat's easier to get along with." Akemi shrugged and said, "Maybe. But I still want to be your friend. I got the impression that you didn't like me very much." She blushed slightly as she realized what she had said.  
  
"I'm not very comfortable around people sometimes," Kyo said truthfully. "And I get mad, and lose my temper. But I guess if you want a friend like that...you can count me in." He looked away from her uncomfortably. Akemi smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, Kyo, thank you!"  
  
Suddenly, the door opened and Shigure came out giggling like an elementary school girl. "Oh, how cute! Kyo's got a crush!" He said in a sing songy voice, hopping along on one foot.  
  
"Shigure, stop being such a damn idiot!" Kyo yelled at him, causing him to stop.  
  
"Toohruuu, Kyo's scary. Make him stop hurting my feelings!" Shigure whined, pulling on Tohru's sleeve. Tohru gave a slight laugh and turned to Yuki, who shrugged.  
  
"What are you guys doing out here anyway?" Shigure said, becoming serious (A/N: well, serious for Shigure, anyway) "Fighting." Both Kyo and Akemi said simultaneously. Shigure raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I hope you didn't beat the idiot too badly, Akemi," Yuki said dryly. Akemi shook her head vigorously and replied, "Actually, Kyo beat me. He put up a good fight. Although, I'm not all that good anyway." She laughed nervously. Suddenly, she looked around and said, "Um...Shigure? Where's your dog?"  
  
"...d-dog? What dog?" He replied, stuttering.  
  
"You know, the beautiful black dog that Tohru called 'Spot'. He was a gorgeous dog, if I you know what I mean. His coat was so shiny! And he had a beautiful face! I'd be surprised if you haven't considered breeding him!" Akemi gushed enthusiastically. Shigure stared at her starry-eyed, "Really? You think he's that handsome?"  
  
Akemi nodded. Yuki sighed and said, "Please don't inflate his head any more than that. I don't believe he can take it." Tohru laughed nervously as Akemi giggled. "Alright, but I don't see the problem in him being proud of his dog." "If only you knew," Kyo muttered, shaking his head.  
  
"Now, what did you say your last name was?" Shigure said, hastily changing the subject. "Kamikara," Akemi replied happily, hardly paying attention. Shigure's face paled as he said slowly, "Did you say...Kamikara?" Akemi nodded. Shigure looked distressed, and both Yuki and Kyo could tell. Tohru and Akemi however, chatted happily and hardly noticed. "Well, I must get going. Hatori wanted me to stop by the main house today; I'd better get going. I'll see you all later. It was very nice meeting you...Akemi." Shigure bowed his head and left.  
  
"Why did he leave so suddenly?" Akemi asked uncertainly. 'It's almost if my last name...scared him away' She knew that her family was an important business family, but she couldn't imagine what that had to do with Shigure or his family. "Don't worry about it," Yuki assured her. "Shigure's a very busy person." "Yea," Kyo said, "being a novelist and all."  
  
Immediately Akemi perked up. "A NOVELIST?!" She exclaimed. Tohru nodded. "I couldn't believe it either." "He doesn't act like one. I mean, his editor is here every damn day trying to get him to make his deadline."  
  
Yuki sighed and said, "Consider yourself lucky. If he were still here when you found out, he would have showed you EVERYTHING he's ever written." "I wouldn't have minded! That' s so exciting to have met a novelist without knowing. Although, I've never heard of any of his books. I'll have to look for them in the library, it'd be interesting to read." "You wouldn't want to," Both Yuki and Kyo said sighing.  
  
"I should probably call for a ride home, it's getting late, "Akemi said sadly. Tohru nodded and said, "yea, probably. But we enjoyed you coming over. Please come again soon! I had lots of fun!" Akemi nodded and followed her inside.  
  
"Hey, why do you think Shigure freaked out when he found out Akemi's last name?" Kyo asked. "I'm not sure," Yuki said thoughtfully. 'Although the name 'Kamikara' seems oddly familiar in the first place,' he thought to himself.

* * *

"Hey, hop in," Amaya said cheerfully as she pulled up in front of Shigure's house. Instead of doing so, Akemi stayed rooted to the ground, mouth agape.  
  
"What?" Amaya asked.  
  
"Your.... Hair," Akemi said, blinking unbelievably.  
  
Amaya laughed. Instead of its normal length, which was down to her waist, it had been obviously cut to a length just below her shoulders. It had not, however, lost any of its bright red tints.  
  
"Oh yea. I forgot to tell you. That was one of my prior engagements." She looked bashful, which was quite unusual for Amaya.  
  
"One? What do you mean 'One'?" Akemi asked getting into the car and closing the door. Amaya started the car and pulled her hair back to reveal her ear pierced all the way up her cartilage. Akemi couldn't help but gasp. Amaya laughed. "Different, huh?"  
  
Akemi nodded. "Yea, but not bad. I just can't believe that you'd...wow. What will mom and dad think?" Amaya shrugged. "Who cares? I sure as hell don't. I'm in my last year of high school! In a few months I'll be an adult, on my way to college. I can't follow everything mom and dad say. And besides...change is good, right? "  
  
Akemi was silent and just listened to her sister talk about how freeing it was. Akemi sighed. She wished she had the opportunity. When she was little, change was never an option.

**###FLASHBACK###  
**  
The young girl ran to her mother and elder sister, who sat on the damp summer grass. She plopped down on her knees next to them, her auburn hair in many wisps across her face. Looking at her daughter, her mother clucked her tongue disapprovingly, making a 'tsk' noise.  
  
"We need to get your hair cut. It's all over the place. We should have never let it get past any more than your cheek. It's so easily tangled!" She stood promptly and grabbed the young girl's hand.  
  
"But mama, I don't want it cut! I wanna grow it out like Onee-san!" She looked at her mother pleadingly, then at her older sister.  
  
"Akemi, no. You know what the rule is. You must have short hair," Her mother said, pulling her up and dragging her back to the house.  
  
"But Nami and Aisu said I look like a boy!" Akemi whined, tears forming in her eyes. All the same, her mother continued to pull her into the house. "What needs to be done, will be done. That is the rule of the Kamikara family." She whispered, before snipping the hair her daughter cherished.  
  
**###END FLASHBACK###**  
  
"Amaya," Akemi said thoughtfully. "Do you remember when we were kids, and mom would never let me grow my hair out?"  
  
Amaya nodded in reply. 'Yea, That's why I grew MY hair out. For you. Since you couldn't, I decided I would do it for you, so there would be enough hair for the both of us. Pretty stupid of me, huh?" Akemi shook her head.  
  
"No, that was thoughtful. Thank you. I just...don't really see the reason as to why my hair has to be this short. I've gotten used to it now. I never bother mom whenever she nags me about it being too long."  
  
It was silent for a moment before Akemi said, "I used to cry. Every time she cut it. Sure, I'd sit in the chair and be a good little girl when she did, but when I got to my room, or to the bathroom, I'd cry. I wanted so badly to grow it out long, just like yours. Why couldn't she give me the one thing I wanted as a child?" But both Akemi and Amaya knew perfectly well why Akemi had never been allowed the simplest of things. And that reason was Kaiya Kamikara.

* * *

"So, you're lucky. You made it through the rest of the day without mom and dad freaking out about your haircut. And they didn't see your ear. Or at least, I don't think they did." Akemi said as she flipped through a magazine on her bed. Amaya sat in the small padded chair by her sister's bed.  
  
"Yea. But mom was disappointed all the same. She keeps making off hand comments about how it looked better long. She even told grandfather. Why does it matter to him?" Amaya pondered as she typed up her homework on her laptop. Akemi turned to her and asked, "What else did you do while I was at Tohru's house? Well...Shigure's house. Why couldn't you meet me there?"  
  
"Oh yea, well, that wasn't the only thing I did. I made some calls, visited, all that stuff. I've got a pretty big surprise for you too. But first, I've got some explaining to do." Amaya suddenly looked excited, as if she had forgotten all about this good piece of news.  
  
"Ok, what is it?" Akemi asked skeptically. She knew whatever it was could be one of two things: 1. Good news for only one of them or 2. Good news for both of them equally. She doubted it was the second. It was most likely good news in Amaya's favor.  
  
"Alright, so after getting my hair cut and ear pierced, I drove around a little bit. The day we got here I did a little speed searching in the car. In other words, I checked out the places down town. And it turns out that we've got quite a few nightclubs. Not the dirty kind, although we have those too. The one I particularly liked was called 'The New Tomorrow' and do you know why I liked them best?"  
  
"Why?" Akemi asked uninterestedly.  
  
"Because they're in need of a new house band!" Amaya exclaimed gleefully.  
  
"So?" Akemi asked.  
  
"So? SO?! I sighed us up," Amaya said simply, resting her feet on Akemi's bed. Akemi dropped her magazine and looked at Amaya. "You...sighed us up? As in you AND me?"  
  
"Yea...why?"  
  
Akemi stood up, enraged. "Amaya! How could you do that without my permission? I can't believe it. I can't do THAT! Call them and cancel, I just can't. Amaya!"  
  
"Hey, chill out. You so can. We'll be fine. So you may be a bit rusty on your piano skills, but that's ok. I was thinking we could do a little Fly me To the Moon, you know, by Sinatra? And then do our version of -  
  
"No. No Piano. Not ever again. No band. No nightclub. No lounges. So Sinatra. No audition." Akemi stepped off her bed and went into the bathroom, promptly shutting the door. Amaya got up and knocked on it.  
  
"But Akemi, why? Don't you want this chance? I mean come on! Both you and I have been talking about this since we were kids, and now you're going to let it get away this easily?"  
  
Akemi put her head between her hands, eyes closed shut. The familiar feeling of nausea threatened her as she tried to deepen her breaths. 'Not again,' she thought desperately, 'please, don't let this come back to haunt me,'  
  
**_'Do you want to bring disgrace to your family? Do you? Then be perfect, or suffer the consequences...'  
_**  
'I want this chance,' she thought suddenly, 'but to embarrass my family and shame myself...never again'

* * *

Lola: Whoo, creepy ending.  
  
Lupi: No not really. Just creepy that you think it's creepy.  
  
Lola: You're just jealous cuz' I've written more than you.  
  
Lupi: Actually, I'm low on Caffeine. Wanna get more?  
  
Lola: Sure! But first I have a message for the readers. I know that this chapter was...weird. You may not know who Kaiya Kamikara is YET. But you will. Eventually, she plays a large role in this fic. And I know the whole hair-cutting thing is weird, but like I said, it plays a larger role later. Oh yea, and so does that quote in the last little bit of the chapter comes in next chapter, which will be mostly music oriented. Oh yes, and if you review, I'll give you some left over caffeine when me and Lupi are done, ok? Till then! 


	6. Lessons

Lola: New chapter. Wow. For once in the past few months.

Paris: no kidding. You think you could have taken any frickin longer?

Lola: Possibly. But something this crappy doesn't do much.

Paris: Touché.

Lola: Oy! TMM! Disclaimer please! 

TMM: Lola-Gurl doesn't own Fruits Basket or any of its characters. She does own Akemi Kamikara and co. (except Amaya, who belongs to Paris Rose of course) Also, the following songs don't belong to her:

"_**Everywhere". It belongs to Michelle Branch.**_

"_**What it is". That belongs to the Good Luck Joes (I luv the Joes!) **_

"_**Fly Me to the Moon" Yea, that belongs to Sinatra. Or somebody. Whatever. **_

"**_Unsung" belongs to Vanessa Carlton._**

Lola: Just so you know, song lyrics are in italics. So with that, begin.

Bright and Beautiful

Chapter Six:

Lessons

Amaya waited outside the bathroom door for her sister to come out. The tense silence between them was almost unbearable. Eventually, Amaya gave up and left the room, shutting the door with a snap. Akemi perked her head up from inside the bathroom and slowly got up. She opened the door slightly and peeked her head out, to make sure Amaya was not in her room (she checked the other door too, just in case Amaya was in her own room)

Sighing, she flopped down on her bed. She had no intention of talking to her sister at the moment. Once again, Amaya jumped at the chance to be noticed and to stand out. It wasn't as if Akemi didn't want to, she just felt uncomfortable with the circumstances.

###FLASHBACK###

"_**Momma, I don't really wanna go to Piano lessons," Akemi said quietly. She was 7 years old. She had dreaded Piano since she had first started it the year before. Her mother gave her a stern look. **_

"_**Akemi Yoku Kamikara! You'll do as I ask you. Now you KNOW that you're good at Piano, so you're going to go. You should be happy that you have a Kamikara teaching you. It's someone you can trust." She pulled her by the hand up to the doorway and rang the door.**_

**_It was true, her teacher, Kanaye Kamikara was related to her. But barely. He was her father's 15th cousin on his mother's side. That didn't make him any trustworthier. The Kamikara family was a large one, so he was a stranger anyway. _**

"_**Good afternoon, Akemi. How nice to see you again." He gave her a vague smile, which made her shiver. He had a long crooked nose and daunting eyes. He was quite tall, and slouched slightly. His long, nimble fingers were perfect for piano playing (and for frightening little children) His kind act did not fool Akemi in the slightest. Her mother was different.**_

"_**Kanaye, it's very nice to see you again. You understand that we've been busy. But Akemi has been practicing," Her mother pushed her foreword into the doorway. "I'll be back later, sweetie. Lots of love!" She blew a kiss and left. **_

_**The second the door had closed, Kanaye's smile immediately turned to a frown. "Get to work. Now." **_

###END FLASHBACK###

Akemi slowly drew a deep breath. It was a haunting memory; one that she had repressed years ago. She wished not to think about it, but resurfacing memories couldn't be controlled.

"Akemi, Dinner!"

Sighing, she stood up and left her room. When she reached the dining room, she realized the crowd of people was larger than her own immediate family. Her face was drained of all its color when she saw who had come to call.

"Akemi dear, how nice to see you again."

That smile. It had never fooled her. It didn't now either.

"H-hello," Akemi managed to stutter as she looked down at her feet. It was all she could do to restrain herself from kicking and screaming like a child for him to leave. But he must, after all, live nearby, since he was a Kamikara. Along with Kanaye, was his family (Akemi only saw them sparingly) His frail looking daughter, who was an exact replica of her mother. His wife did not smile at Akemi, neither did her daughter.

"Kanaye and his family have come for a visit. Why not play them something on the piano, Akemi?" Her mother said lightly. She had completely forgotten, hadn't she?

###FLASHBACK###

**_It was 11:30 at night. A young girl sat at her piano relentlessly the same part over and over. If her staccatos weren't short enough, or the legatos smooth enough, or one key pressed wrong, she would start again. Her eyes were tired and her fingers were numb. But with her piano teacher's words beating down on her._**

_**She was a disappointment. She couldn't do anything right. As long as she made mistakes she wasn't good enough for the Kamikara name. **_

_**Everything he said put her down. **_

_**The pedal had dampened the sound of the piano, but it couldn't fool Amaya. She peeked into the living room to see her little sister quietly playing again and again. She wanted to say something.... anything, to get her sister to go to bed. But nothing word work. Akemi would push herself to the end of time if it meant pleasing someone.**_

###END FLASHBACK###

Of all the excuses running through Akemi's head, she decided to pick the most logical. "We don't have a piano." She said flatly.

Her mother frowned. "Oh. What a shame. I'd be sure your grandfather would have one somewhere around here. Now come and sit down for dinner." For a moment Akemi didn't move at all. But when she saw the stern look on her mother's face, along with the patient one of her father, she realized she'd have to sit through hell. At least for the evening, anyway. Kanaye and his family chatted with her parents lightly. Although he smiled his same fake smile, he was even less believable now that she was older.

She wanted to scream. Point at them and scream until her throat was raw. They were all so fake. It made her sick.

"Akemi, have you ever thought about starting lessons again?" her mother asked suddenly.

Akemi was on the verge of tears. This is not how she wanted the conversation to go. It was then Amaya slammed her hands down on the table and stood up. "Mom, how can you be so careless?!" She yelled. The whole room was deathly silent.

Amaya looked at her mother sternly. "Do you even remember what happened to Akemi? Maybe if you cared a little more, you'd remember." She glanced down at her younger sister for a moment, and then continued, "And if she doesn't want to do something...don't make her do it."

It was ironic hearing her say this, after she had pestered Akemi into going to the audition.

Amaya turned a threatening glare to Kanaye and his family. "Stay the hell away from Akemi. You've caused her enough problems." Without another word, Amaya grabbed her sister's wrist and dragged her off down the hallway.

"Amaya where are we go-" Amaya pushed her sister through the door to her bedroom and shut the door before Akemi could finish.

"Listen. I know what I did was wrong. I should have never signed us up for the audition without asking your permission. I know I wasn't thinking. But that bastard-" She turned her to look at the door, then turned back. "Has no right to be here. You can't let mom push you around like that Akemi."

Akemi was silent for a moment. She was deep in thought.

"I'll do it." She said suddenly. Amaya cocked her head. "What?"

"The audition. I'll do it." She said firmly. She grabbed her elder sister's hand. "If it's that important to you...I'll do it."

For a moment Amaya looked as if SHE was about to cry. Then she through her arms around Akemi's neck, nearly strangling her in the process. "Thank you, Akemi, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me! You won't regret it, I promise!"

Akemi nodded in reply, but wasn't sure that she was right. A nervous feeling settled in her stomach and plainly pointed out that it wasn't going to leave.

The two girls stayed in their own rooms silently for the rest of the night. Later on, their mother came into Amaya's room and scolded her for her bad manners in front of their guests. Akemi put her head in her hands and tried to shut it all out. None of it was Amaya's fault. Kanaye had ruined her love of piano once. It was noble for Amaya to stop him from doing it again.

* * *

"You're doing what?!" Uo yelled loudly, raising her pencil thin eyebrows as high as she could. It had been a week since Akemi had made Akemi slumped in her chair bashfully. "Yes, we're going to audition, but you can't tell anybody. It's at 9:00 Thursday night at a place called 'The New Tomorrow'. We'll have to sneak out of the house. I hope my parents don't catch us, but and god knows, they're still really busy with unpacking."

"Are you sure you're not going to get in trouble?" Tohru asked, concerned. Akemi shrugged. "I hope not. Amaya guarantees we won't, but I don't trust her fully." _'And with good reason' _she added mentally.

"Have the two of you decided on what you're performing?" Hana asked.

Akemi nodded. "I think so. Amaya's really in to American stuff. She wants to do some songs in English. She said most of the people there'd be tourists. It's supposed to be a pretty high-class lounge club. So let me think.... Sinatra's "_Fly me to the Moon_", Amaya's 'super cool' version of "_Everywhere_" by Michelle Branch and "_Unsung_" by Vanessa Carlton."

Uo raised her eyebrows again. "I've never heard any of those songs," she admitted truthfully. "Neither have I," Hana said, nodding. Akemi shrugged. "What can I say? I listen to a lot of foreign stuff. American, German, lots."

"Well good luck!" Tohru said squeezing her hand. Akemi smiled brightly. "Thank you! That means so much to hear!"

"Hey, are you really going to sneak out?" She heard Kyo say from behind her. She immediately blushed at the interruption and nodded meekly. "Yea, we are."

"Well that's stupid! Especially since it was your dumb sister's idea! What the hell are you thinking?" Kyo said, his voice loud enough for the whole class to hear. Akemi furrowed her eyebrows. "It's not stupid. It's important to Amaya. So I'm going to do it."

Before Kyo could utter a word other than 'you', his cousin promptly smacked him upside the head.

"Don't mind him, Akemi. This idiot is just trying to show his concern by yelling at you. And I want to wish you the best of luck."

Akemi relaxed a little and nodded. "Thank you Yuki-kun, that's very nice of you."

Yuki walked away towards the other side of the room, followed by Tohru, Hana and Uo.

Kyo said nothing. The unsaid tension between him and Akemi was thick. Suddenly he sighed. "Ok, the damn rat is right. Good luck at your stupid audition, ok?" Akemi's face suddenly burst into a bright smile.

"Kyo-kun...thank you. Thank you very much!" Kyo looked at her awkwardly, then felt his face twitch. He was almost smiling. But if Yuki or the others saw it, there was no way he'd live it down. "Yea, whatever," He said as he walked away. She was so much like Tohru when she smiled.

* * *

"Dammit," Amaya cursed as she hung up the phone. It was finally Thursday.

Akemi looked up from her homework. "What?" "Those stupid people at 'The New Tomorrow' want me to bring everything. Not only do I have to bring my violin, I've got to carry my base, my electric AND my acoustic."

"Just be lucky they aren't making you bring the amps," Akemi reminded her.

Amaya nodded. "Thanks. There you are, being so optimistic again. How do you do it?"

Akemi shrugged. "I can't do it all the time. I'm half pessimist, half optimist. My own problems involve the pessimistic side of me. Other people's problems aren't nearly as tough to be bright about."

Amaya gave a nod. "Touché."

Akemi heaved a sigh. "Do you think we can do this? Really?" Amaya nodded. "Of course we can. We've practiced for god knows how long. And remember, you don't have anything to worry about. We're a team, and you don't have to be scared about disappointing me, because nothing will. And nobody else we know is going to be there. So relax."

Akemi turned to her sister. "Who's optimistic now?"

Amaya shrugged. "I guess you were right. It's easier to be optimistic about somebody else's problems."

* * *

At 8:30, the girls began to get ready. Akemi had decided on something simple; a pair of blue jeans and a nice crop t-shirt. Amaya, on the other hand, had gone all out. She had light green studs in her newly pierced ears, which brought out her vivid green eyes. Her shirt was a bright, florescent yellow with a red hibiscus in the center. Her jeans were covered with belts and décor. Akemi looked at her skeptically.

"We look a tad bit strange together, don't you think?"

"Who gives? They shouldn't worry about that. It's about the talent. Duh," Amaya said, flicking her sister's forehead.

The two carefully snuck around the corner of the bedroom to their parents room. They were still busy at work moving around furniture and unpacking the many boxes. Her parents were so busy with their own predicament, they didn't even hear Amaya drop her violin in the hallway and curse it to hell.

When they were in the car, Akemi began to fiddle with her seatbelt. Amaya could tell she was nervous. "Oh stop. Just relax. Take a deep breath and a few chill pills. Trust me, you NEED them."

Akemi glared at her sister's comments. Amaya shrugged.

As Amaya had described, the lounge was nice. It had two levels: The lower one, which had a large bar and tables facing the stage, and the upper one, which featured small booths in a restaurant like fashion. The stairs leading up to this balcony like area came close to the stage, which was generally small. There was enough room to place all of Amaya's stuff, plus a drum set, amps and an upright piano (for Akemi, of course).

"When are we scheduled to go?" Akemi asked her sister as they sat backstage, patiently waiting.

"Soon," Amaya assured her. "We've got this next band, and then we're next. I forgot to tell you the manager wants-" But before she could finish, the sudden sound of a chord struck the air. The band was playing. Akemi thought they were quite good, but in a much different style than she and her sister sang. The groups that had gone before them were very talented, and Akemi found herself wondering why she was even there. She felt incredibly foolish, like she was a child masquerading among a party of adults.

"Ok, we're next," Amaya suddenly said. "Get warmed up and ready to go." Akemi flexed her fingers and gave a slight cough. She couldn't' believe she was doing this. It all seemed suddenly surreal, as if none of it was REALLY happening. She quickly hummed up and down a few scales and made vocalizations. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her breathing. In and out....in...and out....

"Alright, come on," Amaya grabbed her sisters hand lightly. Akemi's eyes snapped open to attention to see her grinning sister with her electric guitar strapped across her shoulder. "Time to rock and roll."

"Or have fun," Akemi said sarcastically.

"And now, our youngest act to date...Please Welcome Amaya and Akemi Kamikara!" Taking a deep breath, Akemi stepped on stage. The bright lights seemed to drain all color from her face (if any was left) The tons of eyes upon them was unnerving. Akemi took her place at the piano, fingers clenching and unclenching. A microphone was placed next to her so she could sing and play at the same time.

As soon as she began to play, a familiar sensation rushed through her. It was just like practicing. The notes, rhythms and words had never changed. She had. As she and Amaya sang and played, she tried not to look at anyone. Playing to one person alone could only make things worse.

Unsung went fine, as Akemi had expected it to. She had pounded it out on the piano for the past week and a half, and knew it well enough. Fly me to the moon was next. Amaya played her violin flawlessly. Except for a small mishap on Amaya's part during the second time through, the song was unblemished.

Then came Everywhere. It was the first song Akemi got a break from on the piano. Now she would have to concentrate on the people and not the piano. 'Just my luck' she thought, standing. She dragged the microphone over near Amaya and stood behind it.

Although Akemi couldn't believe it, the audience actually seemed to be enjoying them. They cheered and clapped their hands, as well as stood and hollered. It was much different than piano recitals, where everyone was stone faced and intimidating. Akemi sang her best, inspired by the crowds enthusiasm.

After the three songs were over, she went to leave. Amaya didn't follow. She turned back to look at her elder sister, who stood still. "Amaya, aren't you coming?" She hissed. Amaya shook her head. "No, they wanted me to do a song by myself-"

An oh-so-familiar feeling of jealousy and anger crept its way into Akemi's heart. "Oh so that's it isn't? There you go again, stealing all the attention! That' s all you ever care about! You didn't even need me to be here, you couldn't have done it by yourself. I'm leaving. Thanks for **nothing**." Akemi turned her heel sharply and went to leave stage. "Akemi, wait!" But Akemi had walked off before Amaya could stop her.

Sighing, Amaya stepped up to the microphone. "This is a little song called 'What it Is'" She began to strike chords on her guitar as the beat of the drums fell behind her. She began to sing, her energizing soulful voice adding more excitement to the audience.

_Pardon my displeasure_

_What's the difference, _

_There's no change in me now_

_Disregard my feelings_

_Cuz' what they want is what_

_I'll never be now._

_It's what it is_

_And will always be_

_It's what it is_

_Someday they'll see..._

As she continued to sing and play, she occasionally looked at the door, hoping Akemi would walk back in. She never did.

_Take a look in the mirror my friend_

_What do you see?_

_Don't see me_

_Don't see me_

_Don't see me_

She finished the song with one last regretful chord. The audience cheered. Amaya bit her lip. If her sister didn't come back, they were both done for.

* * *

Akemi was about to storm out of the building when one of the employees caught her. "Miss Kamikara! You can't leave yet! Please! You've still got another act to do!"

Akemi stopped at looked at him quizzically. "Another act? What the hell are you talking about?" Ignoring her use of bad language, the employee said, "The manager wanted you to do a song on your own, as your sister just did. Weren't you informed?" She shook her head in reply. The employee pushed her back towards the stage. "Well just get up there and play something!"

Akemi walked back onto stage reluctantly. She didn't want to even look her sister in the eye. She had jumped to conclusions, and bad ones at that. She had taken a giant leap into a false generalization. And she would pay now. Instead of being upset, Amaya came over and hugged her sister. "Good luck. Whatever you do, it'll be fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. Now go get 'em!"

Shakily, Akemi walked back up to the piano.

_**A/N: Oooh, I made a cliffie. Nuts. I'm sorry this took so long, I'm horrible, I know. And yes, this chapter was HORRIBLY written. I've been so stressed and busy lately, so nothing in my life make sense (including my writing) So bear with me, I'll write again as soon as possible. Luv ya'll!**_

**_Lola_ **


	7. All Things White

A new chapter! (Duh duh duh da!) I'm so sorry about not updating. I won't give you exuses. You've heard them already, so I won't waste your time.

It's true, this chapter took a long time to write. Just because of the German, which is spoken between Akemi and Momiji in this chapter. I'm a begging German student, so it took me a bit to get it down in this fic. If something is wrong, please notify me in a nice way. If you're bitchy about it…well, then you'll hurt my feelings. TT

Disclaimer: I don't own fruits basket or its characters. I don't own Amaya Kamikara because she belongs to that silly cat Paris-rose. I own Akemi Kamikara & the rest of the family though.

The English translation for the German is written **_in brackets, bold and italics. Pretty cool, ne?_**

Song lyrics are in plain old Italics. The song is made up by the way. No musical artist sucks that badly to create horrible lyrics as I did. The only reason I did it was because I couldn't find a song to fit Akemi, so I started writing random emotions Akemi felt throughout the last chapter as a song.

Thanks so much who reviewed the last chapter. It's the support from you guys that keep the story going!

Chapter 7: All things White

* * *

The crowd's faithfully eyes watched her every move. This only seemed to heighten her stage fright. She wished she had never agreed to this.

_Make it happen_, she told herself. _You want to prove you're not a failure? Then sing._

"This song is called 'I'll Never Be'," She said, moving a microphone over to the large mahogany upright piano. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. Then, she began to struck the chords on the piano. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she opened her mouth to sing:

_Mother always told me_

_That I was kinda special_

_That I was something different_

_Something new_

_But now I look back at those words_

_And see there nothing more_

_Than just a few things said _

_To raise my self-esteem _

_Cuz' when I look at you_

_And see how great you are_

_Nothing I can do will ever compare_

_Following in resplendent footsteps_

_Never does you well…_

_  
I will never be beautiful_

_And I will never be good enough for_

_Everyone to see, that I will never be_

_Anyone, _

_Anyone but me_

She continued to pound the piano keys as she closed her eyes and envisioned the words. The crowed called and hollered as she sang.

_If you could only look back_

_See who's following your tracks_

_Feel a little sympathy for a girl_

_Who's never going to add up to_

_What ever you will be._

_I've always been two cents short, _

_And I'm sure that you know that_

_If I could be my own identity,_

_Without being shadowed by your_

_Glorious hues_

_That maybe I wouldn't have to choose_

_Between the failures I'll receive _

_And the glory…your glory, that I long for_

At the climax of the song, she paused to look at Amaya off stage. She held a depressed expression on her face, wondering as to why Akemi would sing a song such as this. Feeling her sister's emotions through her eyes, she took a more soft approach to the end of the song.

_Maybe I can be beautiful _

_If you would just see me_

_For who I am _

_Cuz' I will never be anyone_

_Anyone…but me_

As she lifted her hands from the keys, she held the right pedal down for a few seconds, then slowly and carefully, lifted it up. The audience was silent for a moment, then burst into applause. The announcer came back on stage, Amaya shortly behind him.

"Let's hear it one more time for the Kamikara sisters!" Amaya grinned widely at Akemi, who couldn't help but smile back. The crowd was still clapping. Some of them were standing. Both girls took a bow, and went back off stage.

In the pit of her stomach, Akemi knew that if she didn't apologize she was going to vomit all over something. "Amaya," She said in a rushed tone, "I'm sorry, I never meant to jump to conclusions, I just thought-"

Amaya waved her hand to silence her sister. "Don't bother. I know I should have told you earlier. It slipped my mind, like so many other things in this world. Just be more trusting next time, okay?"

Akemi nodded slowly. "I've got a lot to learn about this business," she told her sister truthfully. Amaya shrugged.

"I think we both do. Most definitely. And we could use a little teamwork practice as well…" Amaya said offhandedly. The two girls thanked the manager of the club, along with the backstage crew, acting band members and announcer. After that, the two headed home in exhaustion.

"I just hope we don't get into any trouble," Akemi said, as they pulled up in the driveway. Amaya nodded.

"Yea. If mom or dad found out that we snuck out, the shit would really hit the fan," Amaya said, getting out of the car.

"Gee, thanks for using such a wonderful metaphor," Akemi said, voice lined with sarcasm.

Luck was on the girls' side that night. When the got back, at 9:55, there parents were (Guess what) still unloading boxes. The two girls barely managed to take off their shoes before dropping dead tiredly into their beds and falling fast asleep.

* * *

The next day their parents had a difficult time getting both girls out of bed. Usually Akemi got up on her own accord, but this morning, both of them refused to get up for the life of them, since they were so incredibly tired.

* * *

The two waited for days on end for 'The New Tomorrow' to call back. After a while, the girls began to feel downhearted. "They're not going to call," Akemi said simply, one Saturday afternoon. "That's it. It was a good try."

Amaya shook her head. "They'll call anyway, even if we don't make it in. For all we know we could have missed it."

Suddenly the phone rang. The two girls looked at each other. "I can't do it, you pick it up!" Amaya urged her sister. Shakily, Akemi picked up the phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is Akemi."

Amaya listened anxiously as her sister talked on the phone. She couldn't bear to listen in herself.

"Uh huh, I understand. Thank you for notifying us. Yes, I know. Alright, goodbye." She hung up the phone and dusted off her hands. "See, that wasn't so hard."

"Who was it?" Amaya asked getting closer to Akemi than she would have liked. At desperate times, Amaya was unaware of personal space. Akemi backed up slightly.

"It was the New Tomorrow," she said her face showing no sign of emotion.

"And what'd they say?!" asked hurriedly. Akemi stood up and shrugged. "Not much. Only that we're their new opening gig." She kept her face still for a moment, then broke into a smile. Amaya squealed in excitement.

"Are you serious?" She asked, jumping up off her sister's bed. Akemi nodded, giggling happily. "We did it!" She said happily. The two sisters grabbed hands and began to jump up and down in excitement. They shrieked as they did this, absolutely thrilled at the exciting news. This lasted for another 5 minutes or so, until the shock had sunk in.

"Well, what else did they say?" Amaya said, finally calming down. Akemi shrugged. "Not much, other than they were really impressed with the two of us. They want us to perform a few nights a month, but not all that much. They know that we're students, so they said they'll fit our schedule best they can. They suggested weekends."

Amaya clasped her hands together happily. "Good, good! But how are they going to keep in touch? Mom and Dad are going to get suspicious if we're always getting calls."

Akemi smiled. "They covered that. I agreed to contact them over email, as well as by cell phone. They know your number, right?"

Amaya nodded. "Yup." She hugged her sister. "This is so awesome! I knew we could do it. God, thanks so much for doing it, Akemi!" Akemi could feel her sister's excitement through the hug.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you talked me into it, actually. I would've felt bad if I didn't." She admitted.

"Hey, let's celebrate!" Amaya said suddenly. Akemi nodded. "Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Well, I saw this coffee shop the other day. I think it'd be nice." She suggested. Akemi nodded.

"Sure, sounds good. I'm sorta in the mood for a mocha cappuccino," she smiled. Amaya nodded and replied, "yea. I haven't had a big train in ages.."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Akemi asked, rifling through her bag, looking for her wallet. "I'll pay." Amaya quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding me? No way! I'll be paying, thank you!" Amaya said, swiping her sister's wallet from her hands. "I'll give it back when we come back."

Slyly, Akemi said, "Ok, sure. I'll just get something expensive." Amaya blinked at her sister.

"Ok, I think you can pay for yourself," she said, placing the wallet in Akemi's hand. Akemi smiled happily. " Cool. Let's go." She ran to the front hall, where her wool coat hung in the closet. "Come on!" She urged her sister.

"Yea, yea, I'm going. But I'm the one with the car," Amaya reminded as she got her own coat. Unlike Akemi's, which was a simple and classy black, Amaya's was a fluffy winter coat covered with pins, buttons and patches. Although it left a very unique and creative look, their parents highly disapproved of its roguish look.

The two drove into town and parked the car on a nearby street. Amaya got out and began to walk towards the coffee shop, but Akemi didn't follow. She was distracted.

"Hold on a second!" She urged her sister, running across the street to look at the river. Reluctantly, Amaya crossed the street after her sister. Akemi stood on the cold frozen snow, looking at the sight she deemed wonderful.

"The river's completely frozen over." Akemi blew out hot hair, watching her breath rise.

"That much is obvious," Amaya said, voice lined with satire, "Have you had enough of this natural beauty so we can go inside? I'm freezing."

Akemi shook her head. "No. I wanna stay out just a little longer. Winter will be over sooner than you think," Akemi said, slightly dramatic.

Amaya rolled her eyes. "Oh and I'm sure going to be upset about that. Be in soon ok? I don't want you getting sick. Mom'll have my head. And so will the owner of the new tomorrow…" Akemi nodded. Amaya waved goodbye and headed inside.

Akemi was enjoying the winter air, for a slight crisp chill hung in it; something that Akemi enjoyed. She happily walked up and down the street, looking at the frozen water. It sparkled and shimmered in the light's reflection. She didn't dare go on it, since it would surely crack beneath her feet. But getting closer wouldn't hurt. She walked slowly down the slope of the hill and stopped when she reached the bank of the river, just underneath the bridge. There she sat down on the snow, despite it's numbing cold. Unbeknown to Akemi, she was not alone.

"It'll all be over soon."

Akemi nearly jumped in shock, she was so startled. She whipped around to see a strange boy standing nearby. He seemed her age, perhaps a bit older. His white hair hung loosely over his smoky eyes. She could faintly see the black hair that remained beneath it, which made her wonder which was dyed. He wore a long white trench coat, and beneath it all black. No wonder she hadn't seen him; he nearly blended in with the snow itself.

"What do you mean it will all be over soon?" Akemi asked curiously, in a polite tone. He looked at her, and then the river. "Winter. After the New Year, the snow will melt, and spring will come, and with it, new life." Akemi frowned, although she knew it true.

Sighing, she said, "I'll miss the winter." He looked at her quizzically.

"Why miss it? Nothing lives. Everything is dead. Its winds are harsh, and cruel. Everything about it is bitter." Akemi shook her head vigorously.

"No no no, not at all! It's a delicate season. You must only try to see it that way! That's all it really is, a world in it's own, made only of… fragile things." He stared at her, reviewing what she had just said in his mind.

"I've never heard anyone take that view," he said finally. He was very soft spoken, as Akemi noticed.

"Sure. If you look around, what do you see? Ice, snow, bare tree branches. All three break so easily. Even though its cold, if you look beyond it…there's beauty in each and every second of it."

The boy started at her for a while, which made her feel uneasy. "Tell me," he said suddenly, his voice growing stronger with volume and emotion, "do think that all things white…are fragile?"

She wished she knew how to answer that question. "Not always…" she answered uneasily. She had never before argued such with a complete stranger.

"Ha-san!!!" A exhuberant voice called suddenly. The boy stood up to see who was calling his name. Both he and Akemi looked around. A boy, who appeared around the age of 8, came bounding down the hill onto the older boy's back. Akemi's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden arrival of another person.

Happily, the little boy cried, "I've been lookin' for ya! Did you get lost again?" Akemi noticed his innocence as his older friend scowled. His big brown eyes stared in wonder at the older boy, twitching his lip slightly. His dirty blonde hair framed his cute face like a portrait.

"Get off," the older boy directed calmly. The little boy immediately jumped off and continued, "As I was saying, we should get going. Ha'ri is probably waiting for us at the coffee shop."

Akemi, who had stayed silent until then let out a gasp. "Ach nein, Amaya!" She cried. She rarely slipped German, but being one of her more fluid languages since childhood, she would sometimes speak without realizing. (A/N: btw, Ach nein, means 'oh no!'…)

The young boy brightened (if it was at all possible) as he heard her speak. He ran up to her eagerly and asked, "Sprechen sie Deutsch?" **_Do you Speak German?_**

Looking at him curiously, she nodded. "Ja." **_Yes_**

"Wunderbar!"**_Wonderful! _**The boy exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing her hands. "Ich heisse Momiji Sohma und es ist nett treffen sie! Wie heisst sie?" He asked. **_My name is Momiji Sohma and it's nice to meet you! What's your name?_**

Smiling, she answered, "Ich heisse Akemi Kamikara. Ich bin glücklich trefft du zu!" **_My name is Akemi Kamikara. I am happy to meet you too!_**

"Kohmst du mit uns bis der Kaffee enkaufen? Bitte?" He asked her, pulling on her hands. **_Will you come with us to the Coffeshop? Please?_**

"Ja, danke schön! Ich brache treffen mein schwester dort," she said, squeezing Momiji's hands. **_Yes, thank you! I need to meet my sister there_**

"ausgezeichnet!"**_Excellent_** He said happily, waving his hands in the air enthusiastically. Akemi laughed happily at his adorable gestures. How could she resist a child that cute?

"Could you please speak so I can understand you?" The older boy asked Momiji nonchalantly. Yet, even as he said this so emotionless, his gray eyes showed a tiny fleck of annoyance.

"Gomen," Akemi said bowing suddenly. "I'm Akemi Kamikara. My family and I moved here not too long ago. May I ask as to who you are?"

"This is Hatsuharu. He's my second cousin," Momiji said, happily running over to him.

"Once removed," Hatsuharu added.

"Same difference," Momiji said, sticking out his tongue.

"Come on, Momiji. Hatori will be in a foul mood if we don't get there soon. I'm not your care taker." He pulled the sleeve of Momiji's coat as a gesture for him to move.

"Not with out Akemi!" Momiji whined, grabbing Akemi's hand. "Come on!"

Akemi nodded and smiled brightly at him. Momiji smiled back. "Akemi you're very pretty. Will you be my sister?"

Blushing at the comment, Akemi nodded. "Sure Momiji. I'd love to be your sister."

"Yay!" He cried happily. The two followed Hatsuharu without another word. He never looked back at them to see if they were following; he just continued walking.

The little bell attached to the door tinkled when they entered. "Hmm...I don't see Amaya…" Akemi said, looking around for sights of her sister.

"Does your sister speak German too?" Momiji asked her.

"Ja, eigentlich Ich tun," **_Yes, actually I do_** came a sly voice from behind them.

Akemi turned around and laughed. "There you are! I thought you left." Amaya rolled her eyes.

"And leave without getting coffee? No way. Who's your friends?" Amaya asked, looking down at both boys.

"I'm Momiji Sohma, Akemi's new friend. I can speak German too! Akemi says she'll be my sister!" He said happily. Amaya laughed and looked at her younger sister, who in return smiled sheepishly.

"Oh yea, this is Hatsuharu Sohma, my second cousin." He said, pointing to him. "Twice removed," he added quickly, before Hatsuharu could cut in.

"Once removed."

"Aww Ha-kun, don't be so mean! It doesn't matter!" Momiji said in a somewhat whiny tone.

"Well it's nice to meet you. I'm Amaya, Akemi's older sister." She smiled crookedly and put her arm around her sister. Akemi could only smile.

"Momiji, Hatsuharu, I've been looking for you." A man dressed quite professionally walked up to the group. He had intense, dark brown eyes, one of which was covered by his matted hair.

"Hi Ha'ri! Say hi to my new friends Akemi and Amaya!" Momiji said. Akemi bowed deeply.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Akemi Kamikara and this is my sister, Amaya." The man gave them a nod.

"This is Hatori Sohma. He's related to me…somehow. I don't quite remember," Momiji said.

"As Sohmas, is it possible that you are all related to Yuki, Kyo and Shigure?" Akemi asked Hatori politely. He looked surprised when she asked this.

"Yes, we are. You know them?" Akemi nodded.

"Yes. I got to school with Yuki and Kyo, and I'm friends with Tohru Honda, who is living in their residence. I've been to their house once. Shigure-sama is very funny."

"So it would seem," Hatori said, not at all amused. Momiji pulled on Akemi's sleeve to get her attention.

"Akemi, did they tell you our secret?" He asked curiously.

"Momiji, don't ask such questions!" Hatori said sternly. Akemi only shook her head.

"No, that's alright. I don't know what he's talking about anyway," she assured him. Turning to Momiji, she leaned down and said, "Now Momiji, if Hatori-san doesn't want you to tell me your secret, then you mustn't tell, ok?" He pouted slightly, but nodded. Amaya stood there, looking slightly confused.

"Well, it's about time that we get going. It was nice meeting the both of you," Hatori said with a nod at the girls.

"Aww, but Ha'ri, I don't want to go! Please can we stay?" Momiji said pleading, with a long tug on Hatori's sleeve. Akemi patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Momiji, I'm sure I'll see you again soon. I promise." He nodded sadly and waved goodbye as they left. Hatsuharu didn't say a word, just gave her a nod of recognition and left.

"Goodbye," Akemi called as they left. A cold rush of air came into the shop as the three left.

"Well, that was interesting. What do you say we get something to drink now?" Amaya said, patting her sister's shoulder.

"Sure," Akemi said smiling.

* * *

Lola: Aha! Another chapter! I didn't actually think this specific scene would be long enough. It almost proved to be too long…

Paris: You're telling me.

Lola: Shut up. Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long. I've-

Paris: **imitating Lola** I've been so busy, I'm sorry. My life sucks, blah blah blah. Please review. I'm such a cool author, blah blah blah-

Lola: Do you really want to die before Christmas? Huh?

Paris: Heh heh heh…no hard feelings, right Lola?

Lola: OH shut up. Anyway, please review and enjoy!

**Next Chapter:**

**-Momiji and Haru: Again!**

**-A visit to Shigure's house: Again!**

**-Haru has something to tell Akemi…what is it?**

See you next chapter!


	8. Unexpected Happenings

A new chapter! I'm really surprised. I seem to be on fire tonight. I finished two chapters for two different stories. My internet isn't working, so this is probably up a little later than expected. Man, right now it's Tuesday, at 1:00 in the morning. Let's see what day and time it is when this is actually uploaded…..

I've been asked a few questions. I'll try to answer them without access to my reviews (which are well…on the internet)

Haru is not going to tell Akemi about the curse YET. He WILL be the one to do it, though. Right now, they don't have much of a basis for friendship, seeing as they just met. If he had told her out of the blue, well…there'd be problems.

Also, just a hint, after this chapter, the Kamikara family is going to look a bit more sinister. You'll see what I mean. And BTW, I'm trying to introduce more and more Sohmas. Next chapter, they'll be more, but for this chapter, we're good enough.

Disclaimer: I'm going to try something different:

**DON'T OWN:**

Fruits Baskets

Characters of Fruits Basket

Amaya Kamikara (she's Paris-rose's OC)

I-Pod

An Island in the Caribbean

Michael Phelps

**DO OWN:**

Akemi Kamikara

The rest of the Kamikara family

A pair of tie-dyed socks

A Toaster

My little brother's soul (just kidding)

Okay, I think you get the picture…

Chapter 8: Unexpected Happenings

"That's wonderful news!" Tohru cried happily. "I'm so glad that you and Amaya did so well! Now you're going to be famous, I just know it!"

Akemi laughed. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe. This is about as much as I can take."

"Well, this is a small step past pretty damn cool already," Uo said, "I'm impressed. We all are. Even orange top over there."

"Will you stop calling me that you damn bitch?! Stop making fun of my hair!!!" He yelled. Uo just laughed. Akemi couldn't help but smile. Kyo was just sensitive enough to let things like that bother him, but tough enough to defend himself brashly on such things.

"Well, Miss Kamikara, congratulations. Miss Honda informed me about the success of your audition," Yuki said smiling down at Akemi.

"I'm really happy about it!" Akemi said, a very large smile on her face, "It's a nice birthday present."

"WHAT?!" The group chorused in unison.

"Why did you not tell us of your birthday, Akemi?" Hana asked calmly. She was the only one who still had a straight face.

"Damn right! When is it?!" Uo asked, demanding the information.

"Uh, well, it's this coming Friday," Akemi said, cowering back from them. Tohru nearly had a panic attack.

"Friday! Oh, I'm so sorry! I should have found out by now and now I have to go out and buy a present and work more and-"

"Tohru, relax! You don't have to get me anything, I promise! I didn't want to tell anybody because I knew you'd freak out, and since I'm new, nobody knows much about me and all that stuff. It's not a big deal, really. There's no rush. Turning sixteen isn't really that big of a deal."

"Sixteen? Really?" Tohru asked. "You must be the youngest in our grade! I'm going to be seventeen in may!"

Akemi nodded. "Mom and Dad started me pretty early. I just made the cut off. I would've been just fine in the year after you guys, but they insisted I go to school all the same."

"Akemi, if you won't allow us to get you anything, you must come over to our house on Saturday to celebrate if you aren't busy," Yuki said.

"Oh yes, that would be wonderful!" Tohru said excitedly, "I'll make lots of food, and we can have you and Amaya over! Then we can celebrate!"

"Sure," Akemi said, "I'd love it! But you don't have to make tons of food, that's not necessary. If you want I could bring something to share with everyone else, but I don't want to make you a slave to the kitchen."

"You obviously haven't heard of Tohru's cooking," Hana said with a thin smile. "You will soon. She won't mind spending time in the kitchen. In fact, it's hardly any time at all, since she goes so fast."

"Oh Hana, you make me sound like a chef. I'm not that great!" Tohru said modestly. "But really, it isn't any trouble, I'd love to make food for everyone!"

"I'll tell Amaya," Akemi promised, "thank you!"

* * *

"I guess," Amaya said shrugging. "We're not busy this Sunday. In fact, we don't start doing shows or anything until a good week or so." 

"Amaya, thank you!" Akemi said hugging her sister. It was after school, and they had just gotten home. Their parents were still apparently still at work.

"Hey Akemi, I'm going to pop a hot pocket into the microwave, do you want one?" Amaya asked.

"Sure, thanks." Akemi said, opening her bag and taking out her homework.

"Okay, will do. But Akemi…could you show me where the kitchen is again?" Amaya asked embarrassed.

Akemi rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sure. I'll show you. I wonder though, why we had to live in the main house. Why couldn't we just live in one of the many little houses on the estate. Every one of them is bigger than our old house."

Amaya nodded. "I've wondered that too. I suppose it's because of Grandpa. Even though there are maids on hands to help him and everything, I guess he wants family. I guess dad's feeling guilty that he hasn't been there for grandpa until now."

"You know, I can't even remember a time when we've met grandpa," Akemi said quietly. "You know, before this year."

Amaya nodded slightly. "Well, I don't have many memories, only one. After you were born. You were maybe a year or so. I was three, or something. Grandfather came to visit our house. To come see you. I'd never met him before, even when I was a baby. When he arrived, I was excited. I wanted to meet my grandfather. But he pushed me aside, to see you. He acted as if it was the greatest thing in the world, to see you. And I just stood there…wondering why I wasn't good enough to get any of his attention. Then he left. Didn't see him until now."

Akemi lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry Amaya. I'm sorry. I would never mean to-"

"Oh shut up. It doesn't matter. So what if grandpa doesn't like me? I really don't give a flying fuck," Amaya said dully. Although she sounded nonchalant, Akemi could tell that deep down, it hurt her sister to know that her grandfather favored herself. Something Amaya could not control, no matter how bright and showy she was.

Akemi grabbed her sister's hand. "Sis, I love you. You've always been there, you know, to look out for me and push me forward. All fifteen…almost sixteen years of my life. Thank you. Thank you so much!"

Amaya smiled at her sister and hugged her. "No problem. I don't regret any minute of it."

"Hey Amaya…where is the microwave?" Akemi asked skeptically, looking around the kitchen. Among the many **_many _**drawers and cupboards all over, it seemed impossible to find even the appliances.

"I'm not exactly sure. Maybe there's a separate room for actually making the food? You'd think we'd have realized it buy now. It's nearly been a month that we've lived here," Amaya said aridly. Akemi sadly nodded.

"That's true. We're pathetic," Akemi stated. She fetched two hot pockets and handed one to her sister. "The microwave must be around here somewhere."

* * *

"Amaya, wake up!" Akemi said yet again. It was the fifth separate time that she had come in begging for her sister to wake up. 

"Nooooo!" Amaya whined, "I'm not going! You can't make me you big meanie!"

"You act like a child!" Akemi argued. "Can't you even try to act like an 18 year old?!"

"No!"

Now she really sounded childish.

"Oh come on Amaya!" Akemi was now the one whining, "Don't make me do the run alone! It's cold and hard and I suck!"

Amaya sat up in bed. "Today's _the_ run?"

"Yes," Akemi said disdainfully. "I hate the run. I thought perhaps going to a new school would change that. Nope. We still have to do the stinking run."

Amaya hopped out of bed excitedly. "Awesome! The mile run! I'm gonna kick total ass today!" She ran to her closet in search of her uniform. She hummed an impromptu melody as she did so, singing things such as 'kicking ass' and 'racing racing racing' as she did so.

When the two got to school, they were to immediately change into their gym clothes. They reluctantly did so, minus Amaya, who was extremely energized.

"Amaya, you're insane," Akemi said shaking her head. Not only was she nearly bouncing off the walls, but she was wearing a short sleeved shirt and shorts.

"What do you mean?" Amaya asked, bouncing over to her younger sister.

"You're wearing summer clothes!" Akemi wailed.

"So? You get hot when you exercise!" She said, smiling at her sibling, who was clad in wind pants and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Not in this cold of weather," Akemi muttered.

"That might be why so many people are sick," Amaya agreed, "did you see how many people were gone today? There must be a bug going around!"

"Amaya," Akemi said sighing, "they're skipping school."

Amaya laughed nervously and answered, "Of course of course! I was just testing you, baby sister! Ha ha ha!"

"You're embarrassing," Akemi said shaking her head and walking away.

* * *

The girls went first. Amaya was leading the pack, happily jogging along in front, wasting no energy. Akemi and Tohru trotted along somewhere in the middle, doing more talking than running. Eventually, halfway through, they needed to stop and catch their breath. 

"Akemi!" Tohru said alarmed, "there's a person down there on the hill!" She pointed. Akemi squinted.

"I'm not so sure. You can go check if you want, I'll stay here."

"No, you continue on running, I don't want to keep you!" Tohru said insistently.

"Are you sure? I can go with you-" Akemi said, but Tohru objected again.

"No, go on with out me! I won't be long, I promise!"

"Okay…" Akemi said, unsure. _'But it won't take her long'_, Akemi thought, _'and I won't get far ahead of her, with how slow I run'_

She waved goodbye to Tohru and continued on her way.

* * *

When she got to the finish line (quite a bit behind her older sister) she felt grateful. She was happy she had actually done so and not passed out on the way there. But what bothered her most was that Tohru had not caught up with her. She was extremely worried, thinking of all the horrible things that could happen to Tohru. 

She began to worry even more when the rest of the day went on, and she did not return. Neither did Kyo or Yuki. Just as Akemi was figuring something terrible had happened at home, Kyo came in the classroom, along with Shigure.

"Kyo!" Akemi said, standing up and running over to him. "What happened? Is Tohru okay? Where's Yuki? Is everything alright at home? Wh-"

"Yes, dammit, everything's fine," Kyo said, irritated, "that Damn rat got sick is all. Tohru decided to stay home with Haru and take care of him until he gets better."

Akemi cocked her head to the side. "Haru? As in Hatsuharu? The one with the black and white hair?"

"Yea…wait, how do you know him?" Kyo asked.

"Well, I met him, and two others the other day, when Amaya and I went to celebrate. We also met Momiji, an adorable cute little kid, and Hatori."

"That doesn't surprise me that Hatori was with them. Lately he's been the one in charge of the both of them. Poor guy, he's in for a lot," Shigure said sadly.

"Hello Shigure-sama, it's nice to see you again," Akemi said with a small bow.

"Oh, so polite!" Shigure said happily. "And it is nice to see your lovely face again, sweet Akemi-"

Kyo let his fist fall hard on top of Shigure's head. "Save it. You're a total pervert, Shigure!"

"Ow! Kyo that hurts. Look's like someone's awfully protective," Shigure said teasingly, "do I detect, dare I say it, a crush?"

Kyo looked about ready to explode. Before he could, Akemi cover quickly, "No, Shigure-san, I think you're mistaken."

He smiled at Akemi. "I hear you're coming over on Saturday! And bringing your sister too, right?" Akemi nodded. "Good! I'm hoping she's just as lovely as you, dear Akemi."

Kyo let yet another large bump atop Shigure's head.

"Ow! Kyo you're really mean! Save me from him, Akemi!" He whined, hiding behind her.

"Don't hid behind her, you idiot! Akemi, you don't have to put up with that! Tell him to go home and take care of that damn rat himself instead of leaving Tohru to do it-" Kyo began to rant. Akemi laughed. Sometimes, the Sohmas seemed to be the cure for everything.

* * *

When Saturday came, Akemi was extremely excited. She loved visiting the Sohmas, for some reason. Although she hardly knew them, or Tohru for that matter, they just seemed to brighten her day all the more. She hoped she did the same for them. 

"How fancy are we looking here, Akemi?" Amaya asked, scrounging through her closet. "I mean, will jeans work, or better than that?"

"I don't know," Akemi said, stepping into her sister's room. "I mean, I'm sure it doesn't matter, but it's up to you."

"Okay," Amaya said shrugging, "jeans it is."

When they arrived, they were confronted with a large problem: They had forgotten how much land they owned. Grumbling, Amaya parked her car and they walked through the wooded path until reaching the house.

Tohru rushed outside to greet them. "I'm sorry you had to walk all that way, I completely forgot about it. I guess I've been here for so long that I've forgotten what it's like to visit this place."

"It's very nice," Amaya said, "I love the landscaping. I'm sure Akemi likes it." She nodded.

"Yup! I'm hoping that once we get to spring, I can do some planting," Akemi said, sounding somewhat shy.

"Hello! You must be Amaya," Shigure said, smiling at her.

"And you're Shigure, right?" Amaya said.

"I'm flattered! You know my name!" Shigure gushed happily. "I'm sure you've only heard good things."

"…not exactly," she muttered under her breath.

"Akemi! You're here, you're here!" Momiji came running out of nowhere, happily greeting the two.

"Guten tag, Momiji!" Akemi said. "How are you?"

"Happy, now that you're here!" He ran out to hug her.

"Hey," Shigure said, holding him back, "you can't go around hugging people, Momiji. You might get into trouble."

Momiji nodded sadly. Akemi just blinked in confusion.

"Well don't you two stand in the doorway," Shigure insisted, "come inside. Take off your shoes and stay awhile!"

They did as instructed and left their coats hanging in the front hallway. Everyone else greeted them in the living room. Kyo, Yuki, Hana, and Uo all came to say their friendly hellos. Akemi noticed that Hatsuharu was there, standing in a corner of the room, looking uncomfortable.

"Tohru baked you a cake!" Momiji said excitedly, "it's in the kitchen!"

"Tohru, you didn't have to do that!" Akemi insisted.

"But I wanted to," Tohru said earnestly, "So we should all go eat some, right now!"

"Alright, let's go!" Shigure said, leading everyone into the kitchen. The only two who remained in the room where Akemi, in somewhat of a dumb shock, and Haru.

She felt uncomfortable, being alone in the same room with him. Not that he was a bad person, or anything. Something about him just made her nervous. Perhaps it was his calm, stoic attitude or his attire that made her feel so small and weak around him.

"Hey," he said softly, "it's Akemi, right?"

"Yea," she answered, just as quietly, "my name's Akemi."

"You've got a really good voice," he said. "You're very talented."

* * *

Lola: Ouch. Cliffie. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to make this chapter that much longer. I HATE to cut off here. If I were the one reading this, I would probably spit on myself, leave a nasty review and pull all my hair out (and I'm telling you, there's not much left as it is, I just got a good 5 inches cut off a few days ago) 

Paris: No one cares.

Lola: You're just jealous (cause we're young and in love -tee hee).

Paris: Ooh, quoting Brand New, I'm so scared.

Lola: I hate you.

Paris: wonderful. Why don't you just leave the preview for next time and stop talking.

Lola: Oh Shut Up.

**Preview for next chapter:**

**-Enter Kagura: Things could get messy**

**-A new friendship will arise! Mwhahaha!**

**-Amaya's got followers (**Oo**) why won't the Yuki fan club leave her alone? **


	9. The Question Game

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or the characters. I don't own Amaya, she's Paris'. I own Akemi & the other Kamikaras. That's it. Oh, and I own my soul, the last time I checked…..

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Question Game**

"What?"

Akemi could not believe her ears. If he knew about her singing…he must have…

"I was there, at The New Tomorrow the night you auditioned. I thought it'd be a good opportunity to hear some cool bands," Hatsuharu said slowly, in a somewhat drawling voice. He seemed to be bored with the subject.

"Please don't tell anyone!" Akemi squeaked nervously. He looked at her quizzically, not quite understanding the sudden anxiety that had taken over. "My mom and dad don't know about it," she explained, "and if they find out both me and Amaya are in deep trouble. So I would-"

"Don't worry. I won't be telling anyone," he said slowly, gazing at her with glazed eyes. She was unsure what it was that look meant. That is what made her **most** nervous.

"So…you liked it?" She asked. He nodded.

"Yes. Not really my style of music, but yes. You and your sister have a realistic air about you when you perform. Everything is down to earth," he said as he sat down, obviously not wishing to leave the room until they were done with their conversation. Akemi followed his suite and sat down as well.

"Thanks. We weren't all that great though. We put the audition together at the last minute, because I wasn't sure I was gonna go through with it. I'm glad I did," she couldn't help but smile at the memory of only a few weeks ago.

"That song you sang alone was powerful," he said softly, his calm voice making her more and more comfortable. "Is that how you really feel?"

Akemi hesitated in answering. Once again, she was sharing her open thoughts with someone she barely knew. But he seemed like a friend somehow, even though he was distant.

"Yes," she said quietly. "That's how I feel sometimes. Amaya's the outgoing one. She's a star, shining so bright and beautiful that it nearly blinds the rest of us. I'm just in the background."

"Yes, it is a familiar feeling. I suppose we all feel that way at times. I myself am forced into the shadow, behind Yuki. He's the brightest star of the Sohma family. The rest of us just don't add up," Hatsuharu told her honestly. She drew her breath in slowly, the shock of his statements numbing her brain.

Was that really true?

Just in observing, she could see that Yuki did not feel like the brightest star. He had reluctant feelings, as everyone else did. But she had never thought it possible that Amaya, her family's brightest would feel that way…

"Maybe those of us in the dark just need to find our own light," she said softly, "find something that we can call ours and shine just as much. Then maybe we wouldn't feel so weak…right?"

Hatsuharu smiled. "Right."

She stood up, a brilliant smile upon her face. "Thank you, Hatsuharu-san!"

"Haru."

"Hmm? What'd you say?" She asked, in confusion.

"Please just call me Haru. That's what everyone calls me. Nobody really uses my full name," he stood as well, towering over Akemi's small figure.

"Alright," Akemi said tentatively, "I think I can do that. Thank you, Haru." He grinned at her, making her stomach lurch nervously.

"You're welcome."

"Akemi, Ha-kun, come on! We're gonna eat cake now!" Momiji popped his head in the door and looked at them curiously. "Why do you have to take so long?"

"Sorry," Akemi said apologetically, "can you forgive me?"

"Jawohl!" He said happily, pulling her and Haru into the kitchen.

* * *

"Tohru, this is the best cake I've ever tasted!" Akemi said happily, letting the sugary substance dissolve in her mouth.

"Thank you Akemi, but really, I'm not all that great of a cook!" Tohru said modestly.

"She's so modest! How do you put up with it?" Amaya asked, putting her hands up in frustration. Shigure shrugged.

"I guess it's because we all love her so much. She is a wonderful person; I don't know why she doesn't want to show it more. You should!" He said enthusiastically. Tohru blushed in embarrassment.

"No no no! I'm not all that great of a person!" She said, feeling flustered.

"Tohru, there isn't anything wrong with pointing out your strong points. It's not like your bigheaded about it. Don't feel bad about yourself just because you're good at something," Akemi told her smiling.

"Hey, let's play a game!" Amaya said happily, "I've got an idea! We all sit in a circle and one person asks if they were something in a certain category, what would they be. Then everyone goes around the circle and answers why they'd be that certain thing. Me and Akemi used to play it a lot when we were younger."

"Yea, it's a fun game," Akemi agreed. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it sounds like a girly game to me," Kyo said in disagreement.

"And you'll play it all the same if you don't want that big mouth of yours knocked off your face," Uo hissed.

"You wanna make something of it?!" Kyo yelled at her, his temper rising.

"Just sit down and play, you stupid cat," Yuki said with a sigh.

"Don't call me a stupid cat you damn ra-"

"I don't get it!" Amaya declared. "Why did he call orangey a stupid cat?"

"Because cats are stupid, useless creatures and Kyo acts like one," Yuki muttered darkly.

"I have a cat," Amaya sniffled, "and Snowball's not stupid, or useless." Yuki shifted uncomfortably, along with the rest of the members of the room (except Momiji, who was not paying attention. He was too busy stuffing his mouth with cake)

"Act your age," Akemi hissed annoyed. She turned to Kyo. "Please Kyo, can we play? It'd mean a lot to me and Amaya." Kyo scowled slightly, then sat down.

"Fine," he mumbled irritably, "if I have to play, then I'll play." Akemi gave him a silent look of thanks. He rolled his eyes.

"Ok, Amaya can start." Akemi said, nudging her sister. Amaya immediately stopped pouting and perked up.

"Yay, my turn!" She put her finger to her chin in a thinking motion. "Oh, I know! If you were a hot pocket, what flavor would you be?" She asked brightly. Akemi face faulted.

"Is that the best you could come up with?" She asked. Amaya bobbed her head up and down.

So the game went on. Akemi could tell that everyone liked it, including Kyo.

"Ok Akemi, it's your turn!" Tohru said happily.

"Hmm…alright." She thought for a moment. A lot of good questions had already been asked, all the way from flowering plants to hot pockets. Suddenly she thought of a question. "If you were an animal, what would you be?"

The room was in an awkward silence. Everyone except for Uo, Hana and the Kamikara sisters were in a nervous state.

"Good question Akemi!" Amaya said, a very large smile across her face.

"I'd wouldn't want to be any other animal than human," Hana said softly, "but if I had to be, I suppose I'd be a something strong and sneaky. A panther, perhaps."

"I'd be a fish," Uo said with a grin. When asked why, she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Cuz they're free, I guess. I mean, if a fisherman catches them, that's their own damn fault, right? Other than that, they're able to go wherever the want. Hell, they could cross the entire country if they wanted to. I don't know, I just always that they were cool."

Akemi smiled and nodded. "What about you Amaya?"

"I'd be a sparrow!" Amaya replied.

"Why?" Kyo asked outraged.

"Cuz, they're pretty," Amaya said childishly.

"No," Kyo disagreed, "Peacocks are pretty!"

"Peacocks are vicious!" Amaya argued.

"Sparrows are vicious!"

"They're pretty!"

"No, Peacocks are pretty!"

"They're vicious!"

"SPARROWS ARE VICIOUS!"

"NO, THEY'RE-"

"Amaya!" Akemi said harshly, bringing her sister back to her senses. She and Kyo were screaming at each other at deafening tones. Other than that, they were close to violence.

"Fine! I'll be a fucking peacock! Are you happy, asshole?!" Amaya yelled irately at Kyo.

"Earmuffs!" Momiji said loudly, putting his hands over his ears. Amaya sighed.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. Then she turned back to Kyo and said haughtily, "What about you? What would you be?"

He was extremely reluctant to answer. Yuki smirked defiantly. "Go ahead," he said, "tell them what you'd be."

"A cat," he mumbled very softly under his breath.

"What'd you say?" Yuki asked him.

"You know damn well what I said! I'm not repeating it!" Kyo yelled, nearly deafening Yuki.

"No, I really didn't hear you, please speak up, Kyo," Akemi said, in a more dictatorship-like way than usual.

"A Cat! I'd be a cat, okay?!" He snapped. The entire room was silent. Akemi blinked.

"That's cool. I like cats," She said densely, "Yuki's turn."

"I'd be a rat. Not because they're sneaky or anything, but because they really aren't understood as well as they should be," Yuki said coolly, "Shigure's turn."

"I'd be a dog, of course. Dogs are loyal, strong, handsome, obedient, noble and so much more. Dogs are the best!" He winked and gave a peace sign. Amaya shuddered.

"Don't do that again. I don't care what your smoking…never again." She perked up after threatening the writer. "Okay, who's next?"

"ME!" Momiji said enthusiastically, "I'd be a bunny! Bunnies are cute and soft and sooo cuddly, like me!" Akemi giggled at his antics.

"I just want to hug you sometimes!" She said, reaching out for him.

"Miss Kamikara, I don't think that's such a good idea," Yuki said suddenly, "he won't let go of you if you say its okay. Tohru knows from experience, right Tohru?" She nodded in agreement, catching on to Yuki' sudden cover.

"Alright," Akemi said, her face pouting, "It's Haru's turn." The rest of the Sohmas raised their eyebrows in surprise, since she had addressed him so casually.

"Well, I would be a cow, I suppose. To me, everything is black and white, and I'm not really all that fond of zebras," he drawled, turning to Akemi. "You're turn."

"If I were an animal," Akemi said slowly, "I'd be a redwing blackbird."

"Why in hells name would you be _that_?" Kyo asked bluntly.

"Kyo! That's not nice! Don't be so mean to Akemi!" Momiji whined at him. Amaya sighed.

"Don't ask her for an explanation. It'll take her a good 15 minutes, trust me I've heard it before. Let's just move on to the next question, okay?" Amaya said wearily. She questioned her sister's motives as to why she asked that question of them all. Was she looking for attention, or had she honestly just asked the question?

"Oh, but I want to hear why!" Momiji complained, "Please tell us, Akemi. Please!"

"Oh yes," Tohru agreed, "I really would like to know. Will you tell us?"

Akemi shook her head. "No really it isn't important. Amaya's right it's not worth hearing-"

"Oh come on Akemi-kun! We really want to know!"

"If she doesn't want to tell anyone," Haru said quietly, "I think we should respect her wishes and drop the subject. Don't you agree?"

Akemi gave him a silent glance of thanks. "I agree."

* * *

Lola: Ok, so I didn't get to Kagura. Oh well. Next chapter. **Shrugs**

Review!


	10. Introductions and Deceptions

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or it's characters. I don't own Amaya, she belongs to Paris-rose. Also, there's a line in here somewhere in this chapter that is from another fic. I fretfully don't remember who wrote it, but whoever did, I give you credit! But I own Akemi & their family & stuff. I also own the 'Wicked' soundtrack! (if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a really big fan of musicals)

Enjoy the chapter. Please review. : )

* * *

Chapter 10 – Introductions and Deceptions

* * *

"I can't believe it," Akemi said finally, "I just can't believe it."

It was the week of exams and shortly after completion school would be finished for the year. Come spring, they would return to school. Well, Akemi would. Amaya had just completed her final year in high school. That spring, she would be going to college.

"You know, I don't really believe it either," Amaya said, "but hey, it's not a big college. I won't be swamped with classes all the time. I'm still gonna visit…and live at home for that matter. It pays to live nearby."

"I know," Akemi said, pouting, "but I'm sorta gonna miss you embarrassing me at school."

"Ah ha!" Amaya said, standing up, "so you WILL miss it! The truth comes out!" She did a small dance around the room, bragging in a sing-songy voice.

"Alright, I take it back. I'm most definitely not going to miss that," Akemi said with a sigh. Her sister laughed and sat down on her bed.

"Relax. It's exam week. Other than testing, it's gotta be the easiest week we have. Sure, studying is a real bitch but the entire weeks is pretty much open campus," Amaya said brightly. "You've got to learn to enjoy it."

"I will," Akemi assured her. "I'm just not sure how I'll do on the tests. My math grade won't be looking so well after the exam…"

"Why don't you ask Yuki for help?" Amaya suggested. "That kid's a frickin genius."

Akemi shook her head. "Nah, he's way to busy helping Tohru out. I know that she's having some real problems with other things, so he's been helping her with her stuff. I would just be a burden."

"And Kyo sure doesn't seem the type," Amaya said flatly. "I dunno. I could help you, but you can't trust me to do any better than you could. Hell, I fail all my math exams."

"No really, it's okay. Mom's pretty good at math, I could always ask her," Akemi said, thinking to herself.

"Yea, if she had time for us anymore," Amaya said scowling. "Since we've moved here, she's been over obsessive about redecorating everything. Seriously, I figured she'd be suspicious about our performing by now. It's been two weeks and she hasn't noticed!"

"Maybe she has and she just doesn't care," Akemi suggested. The two of them laughed immediately; the idea was outlandish. If their mother had found out about their sneaking out to play at a club, well, let's just say neither of them would be allowed near an instrument for a very long time.

"But don't you think she's been acting a little weird lately?" Amaya asked. Akemi nodded slowly.

"I have. She's really crabby and snaps at almost everything. The other morning when I asked her where the bagels were, she blew up at me." (A/N: Does this sound familiar to anyone else?)

"My guess is that she's on permanent PMS," Amaya said. The two shuddered at the thought.

"But then again, dad's sort of acting weird too. I mean, he's never usually this tense. Maybe he's uncomfortable being here to care for Grandpa," Akemi said, trailing off.

"You know, I swear it's like that old man doesn't even live here," Amaya said.

"Amaya!"

"It's true! He stays in that one room the entire day! He never leaves! The only time I've seen him is the day we came here; that long ago!" Amaya said. "Besides," she added quickly, "I didn't mean it as an insult."

Akemi sighed. "It's true, grandpa doesn't come out of that room very often. But I guess it's because he's that fragile. Dad said he was ill."

"Yea, but if I were ill, I'd be sky diving, making the most of what time I had left," Amaya replied coolly.

"That'd probably kill him," Akemi said, trying to imagine her grandfather skydiving (and enjoying it). She wasn't able to.

"Hey, what about that garden of yours? Aren't you going to plant one?" Amaya asked. Akemi nodded.

"Yea, but the weather's far too cold now. I'm thinking about starting as early as next month. April's supposed to bring good growing season," Akemi dug through her desk drawer and pulled out a drawing (not very well done) and put it into her sisters hands.

"What's this?" Amaya asked.

"A plan for my garden. I was thinking something fairly small, and just have a nice arrangement of flowers. What do you think of it?" Akemi asked eagerly.

"Um, I can't really say," Amaya said honestly, "this drawing looks like one big scribbled mess to me. Sorta gives me a headache…"

"Alright, shut up," Akemi hissed, grabbing the drawing from her sister' s hand, "I get it. I got the idea in class one day and wrote it down before I would forget it. It's just a doodle."

"Yea, but I can do better doodles with my eyes closed," Amaya said, sticking out her tongue.

"I never asked you-"

Their bickering was interrupted by the telephone ringing. Akemi picked it up.

"Hello, Kamikara residence, this is Akemi."

"Hi Akemi!"

Akemi smiled. "Hi Tohru, how are you?"

"Good, thanks for asking. Look, I was wondering if you wanted to come over this afternoon. There's somebody here I really want you to meet. She's a friend of mine."

"Sure, hold on a moment." Akemi put the phone agisnt her shirt and said, "Tohru wants me to come over. Do you want me to ask if you can come too?"

Amaya shook her head. "Nah, I've got stuff to do. More packing. Oh, and I'm arranging some new stuff for our next show. Transposing keys, etc."

"Will you still give me a ride there?" Akemi asked anxiously.

Amaya nodded and continued packing.

Akemi picked the phone back up. "Alright, I'll be right over as soon as Amaya gets her lazy butt up."

"Oh, she can come too if she-"

"She says thanks but no thanks. She's got lots of work to do today," Akemi repeated her sister.

"Alright," Tohru said, sounding a bit disappointed. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

Akemi and Tohru brightly waved goodbye as Amaya drove off. Tohru frowned slightly.

"It's a shame she couldn't stay. I think she would have liked to meet Kagura too," she said softly.

"Who?" Akemi asked.

"Kagura Sohma. She's the guest I want you to meet. A distant relation to Shigure, somehow. She explained it once, but I really don't remember," Tohru rambled as she lead Akemi in the house. "Hey Kagura, where did you go?" She called out.

Akemi stood in the front entry way awkwardly as Tohru walked around the house trying to find 'Kagura'. She was suddenly startled as a hand reached out and grabbed her foot from nowhere. She nearly screamed, if she didn't hear a faint "Shh!"

"Akemi, be quiet! I'm hiding!" The voice hissed. The hand let go of her ankle and she whipped around. The front hall closest where coats were hung was open slightly, revealing a pair of eyes peeking out.

"Who is it?" She asked worriedly, then stopped. "Kyo…is that you?"

"Shh! Don't say it to loud. I'm hiding from her," he said in a deadly whisper. She knelt down to understand him better.

"Who? Tohru?"

"No, idiot! Kagura!"

"Who is she?" Akemi asked, "She can't be that bad. I'm sure you're just overreacting."

"Are you kidding? She's a terror! She's a total-"

"Sweetheart! Where are you? Kyo? Kyo! Answer me!" Akemi heard a voice call down the stairs. Moments after, a girl plopped down faster than Akemi could blink.

It wasn't so much the girl's physical appearance that made her look childish, rather what she wore. Her baby pink dress that frilled at the bottom (with puffy sleeves, of course) was worn over faded blue jeans. On her back hung a very childish backpack, shaped like a cat. And still, Akemi took an instant liking to her.

She got up off the floor immediately before Kagura noticed.

"Who are you?" She asked, suddenly spotting Akemi.

"My name's Akemi. I'm friends with Tohru, Yuki and Kyo. It's very nice to meet you. Are you…Kagura?" Akemi bowed respectively.

"You know my name? That's great! I'm so happy!" Kagura gushed. Skipping formal introductions, she ran up and hugged Akemi. Completely taken by surprise, Akemi could not do much but pat her back awkwardly. Suddenly, Kagura's grip tightened significantly as she pulled away.

"Wait, did you say you were friends with Kyo?" She asked, eying Akemi suspiciously. Akemi nodded. "Is that all, huh? It better be, because I couldn't stand for a rival! I love Kyo more than anything, and no one will take him away from me, ever!" She gripped Akemi's arms tightly.

"No, you're quite mistaken. Kyo and I are only friends, really. I've only just moved her and he, Yuki and Tohru were my very first friends. And if he's yours I'd never imagine stealing him from you," Akemi explained.

"I'm not hers, dammit!" A sudden cry came from the closet. Kagura let go of Akemi's now aching arms and looked inside the closet.

"Kyo!" She squealed happily, "I was looking for you! What in the world are you doing in the closet?" She asked.

"Hiding from you, you crazy bitch," Kyo mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?" She said, in her slightly-dangerous-but-oh-so-happy tone.

"Uh, I said I have a back itch," He covered quickly, knowing that he would end up battered and bruised if he were to speak against her too loudly.

(A/N: Okay, I saw that in a wonderful x-over fic somewhere, and I love it! Thank you to whomever used it first, the idea belongs to you!)

"Kyo, that made no sense," Kagura complained, "the next time I ask you a question, make sure your answer make sense."

Akemi laughed nervously. She could tell that although Kagura cared deeply for Kyo, the feelings were not returned. It was obvious to her that Kagura's strong personality might try Kyo's patience.

But then again, most people tried Kyo's patience.

'_His non-existent patience_,' she thought to herself dryly.

"Akemi, will you be my friend?" Kagura asked eagerly. Akemi nodded.

"Of course, I'd love to be your friend." Akemi smiled. Kagura gave a cry of glee and jumped up and down.

"Yay, I made a new friend!"

"You're in for it," Kyo told Akemi bluntly.

* * *

Although slightly nervous at first, Akemi soon found Kagura to be lots of fun. That is, except for her temper. It was unlike Kyo's temper. When she got angry she **lost control**. Usually on Kyo.

Poor Kyo was miserable.

Now she, Kyo, Kagura, Tohru and Yuki were out and about town, running errands and stopping in shops to browse once in a while.

"Kyo, I'm cold," Kagura informed him.

"So? Who the hell cares?" He asked, annoyed. She frowned.

"Kyo, I'm cold! You're supposed to put your arm around me!" She pressed.

"Hell no! I'm not doing any such thing!" He replied heatedly.

"Kyo!" She got the familiar glint in her eye, saying she was deadly serious. "Please?"

"Alright fine!" He yelled. Reluctantly, he moved closer to Kagura and put his arm around her. She smiled happily to herself. Akemi and Tohru giggled. Yuki shook his head amusedly.

"What are you giggling about?" He hissed.

"It's just so cute!" Tohru said. Akemi nodded.

"Especially how she gets her way! It's so cute I can't stand it!" Akemi broke into a fit of giggles. Kyo looked as if he would kill her.

"Ah, don't hurt me!" She shrieked, running away as fast as she could down the street.

"Hey, get back here!" He yelled, running after her. Tohru looked and Kagura and both laughed.

"She's in for it," Yuki said observantly.

Akemi didn't get very far before Kyo caught up and cornered her. The ground was still covered in snow, so Kyo took the opportunity for revenge by it. He packed up a snow ball and hit Akemi right in the face. She yelped in surprise and wiped the snow from her face promptly.

"Kyo!" She yelled angrily. He immediately regretted that decision as she grabbed a handful of snow herself. It surprised him how fast and hard she could whip snowballs.

It wasn't long before Kagura, Tohru and Yuki had joined into the snowball fight. After a good fifteen minutes, the five were completely exhausted. They sat on a bench, catching their breath.

"Akemi, I had no idea you were that good at snowball fights," Yuki said, between gasps of air.

"No kidding! You were amazing!" Tohru agreed.

"You kicked everyone's ass," Kyo said, "even mine."

"It's from all those years of Amaya's torture," Akemi said, "It's no talent. I promise, or my name isn't Akemi Yoku Kamikara."

Kagura stiffened. "Did you say…Kamikara?"

"Yea," Akemi said, "that's my last name. Why?"

She turned to Kyo and Yuki and said fiercely, "You knew? This entire time you knew she was a Kamikara and you didn't do anything about it?"

"That is her last name, but why should it matter?" Yuki asked.

"Yea, what the hell are you talking about Kagura?" Kyo asked. "Even Shigure knows. I don't see why it matters what her last name is."

"None of you know?" Kagura staggered.

"Know what?" Tohru asked confused.

"The Kamikara family has been the enemy of the Sohmas for centuries. They've been taking our fortune bit by bit," she turned to Akemi, "it's because of your family my father nearly lost his job!"

"Kagura!" Kyo yelled harshly, "it's not her fault! Just leave her the hell alone!"

"I…didn't know," Akemi said softly. She stood and looked Kagura in the eyes and said honestly, "I'm very sorry."

Then she took off running around the corner and darted into a store unseen. Kyo and Yuki ran down the street after her and ran right passed the shop they had slipped into. Akemi took out her cell phone (which she had recently gotten as a gift from her parents for her birthday) and called Amaya.

"Hey, what's up little sister?" Amaya said cheerfully.

"Are you busy?"

"No…why?" Amaya asked, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you when you come pick me up," Akemi said, trying to control her tears, "I'm downtown. Meet me at the coffee shop, okay?"

"Alright. I'll see you then." She hung up.

Akemi took a deep breath to calm herself. This was horrible.

Her family, taking money from the Sohmas? Her mind was reeling. What hurt more than the deceit, guilt and embarrassment was the terrible feeling that she had just lost four of the greatest friends he had ever made.

* * *

I finished this chapter earlier than I expected. : ) Your welcome. And see, I finally got Kagura in. Yay me!

Previews for the next chapter:

**Akemi works out her problems at the coffee shop. Just guess who with.**

**More with the Sohma/Kamikara conflict**

**Sleepover at the Sohmas…will she discover the secret?**

Love you guys! Don't forget to review!

Lola


	11. Problems Over Coffee

Lola: I'm sorry, it's up! I'm so tired, you wouldn't believe it. I'm in a Symphony with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Choir, etc. and I'm VERY low on time and sleep. So I hope you're happy. **SOBS**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket or its characters. I don't own Amaya (Paris-Rose) **I own everything else. :-)

* * *

Chapter 11 - Problems Over Coffee

* * *

The frosty wind swung the door open forcefully as Akemi made her way into the coffee shop. Being a Saturday afternoon, it was generally crowded. She sighed and sat down on one of the deep burgundy couches, her arms folded in melancholy. She couldn't help but sniffle a bit now and then as small amounts of tears trickled down her cheeks.

"You know crying is really unbecoming of a 16 year old."

She lifted her head up and saw Haru making his way over with a blended drink. She gave a weak smile.

"Yea, but I don't really care about what's becoming and unbecoming at the moment," she said, sighing again.

He sat down in an armchair next to her. He put his drink on the table in front of her. She looked at him quizzically.

"Take it. Coffee always makes problems less of a big deal," he told her. "Besides," he added, "I don't really want to have to listen to them."

"No, that's alright. You drink your drink and I'll leave you alone," she said, beginning to stand up.

He shook his hand. "No, I mean it. Sip on that and I'll go get myself another one." He didn't give her much choice either. Without another word he stood up to get back in line. In a few minutes he returned with another cup in hand. He sat back down and leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes gray tranquilly. He opened them again and looked at her.

"Okay, so spill."

"I thought you didn't want to listen to my problems," she said, raising a suspicious eyebrow. He shrugged.

"I have nothing better to do. So go already."

She took a deep breath and began. "Well, I went over to see Tohru today and she introduced me to Kagura-"

"Ouch. You saw her temper didn't you?" He asked. She nodded. "That's enough to upset anyone-"

"No, that's not even it," Akemi said. "We were all fine, unit she found out I was a Kamikara."

He gave no reply. She waited for him to give her the same angry lecture that Kagura had, only he did not.

She looked at him with confusion.

"Oh, you didn't know that did you?" she said, her heart dropping. Great. She had just lost another friend.

"No," he said, shaking his head, "I knew."

"Then you must not know about the family rivalry," she said, still upset at her sudden outbursts.

"No, I knew about that too."

"Then…why?" She asked in wonder. "Why don't you scream at me the way she did? Why don't you hate me?"

"I don't think it's right to judge someone based on another's reputation. Hell, I put up with a lot, looking the way I look. People think I'm some no good punk with an attitude problem. You've gotta show them that you're not like that. When people see that, they'll know they've made a mistake in wrongly judging you." As he spoke, he looked away. Akemi found this odd, for she always looked someone in the eye when talking to them. He was obviously uncomfortable. "Besides," he said, "the rivalry doesn't affect my family at all. Some people bitch about it, but I could care less. You're your own individual, and someone else's mistake shouldn't change that."

She smiled. "Thanks. That made me feel a whole lot better."

The two sipped their blended drinks on idle chit chat, talking about random topics of conversation. Despite the somewhat stoic attitude, Akemi found Haru amazingly easy to talk to. Finally he asked,

"Akemi, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded. "Sure. Anything."

"A few weeks ago, when we played that question game, why did you choose to be a Blackbird?" He seemed very curious, like a small boy upon finding something new and exciting.

"I'm surprised you remembered that. Redwing Blackbirds are really neat birds. Unlike most birds, their color is on the underside of their wings. I'm not really an expert or anything, I just think they're neat."

"You didn't quite answer the question," he reminded her.

"Oh, right. The reason I would be a Redwing Blackbird is this. They look like a plain and ordinary bird on the outside, just minding they're own business. But when you throw a stone at them, or scare them, they fly away, and it's only then that you see their colors underneath. That's why I'd be a Redwing Blackbird."

He raised his eyebrows. "Wow. That's very…poetic."

She laughed. "Yea, I guess so."

Suddenly, they were interrupted by Amaya, apologizing profusely for being late. She had gotten a lecture for leaving a mess in the kitchen, and eventually had to clean it up.

"Mom was being a bitch, as usual," Amaya explained. "I'm seriously convinced that she's on permanent PMS. I'm SO glad I'm leaving and living on my own. This stuff is getting annoying." Akemi rolled her eyes.

"We can talk about it later you know." She turned to Haru and waved goodbye. "It was nice talking to you."

He nodded. "Same here."

"Thanks a lot for helping me. Oh, and I owe you for the coffee!" She called as she walked away.

He shook his head and smiled slightly as she walked away.

_Hatsuharu Sohma is a pretty special guy_, Akemi decided.

* * *

Akemi looked up from her movie as the telephone began to ring.

"Amaya, can you get that? I'm busy," Akemi said, eating another spoonful of ice cream. Although talking with Haru had gotten her into a better mood, she had not gotten words from the Sohmas yet.

So she had found solace in ice cream and Disney movies.

"Hello," Amaya answered in a sing-songy voice, "I'm sorry, but she can't come to the phone right now. She's too busy wallowing in self pity, eating a pint of ice cream and watching _The Little Mermaid_."

After a long struggle for the phone, Akemi eventually got her hands on it. "Hello?" she said breathlessly.

"Akemi, I am so sorry for what happened this afternoon! You see, Kagurareallydidn'tmeananyofitandafterShigureexplainedittohershefeltreallybadandsodoIandsodoYukiandKyoandwewouldreallylikeitifyouandAmayawouldspendthenight!"

Akemi laughed and said, "Tohru, it's okay, but you're going to have to calm down and explain things slower." Tohru took a deep breath.

"Kagura felt terrible when she found out that you didn't know anything about the family rivalry. Kyo and Yuki didn't know about it either, and it wasn't until Shigure explained it this afternoon that it was all understood. I just want you to know that we hold no grudge against you and I still really want to be your friend, if you forgive me," Tohru sounded on the brink of tears.

"Tohru, it's alright, I promise. I'm not angry. I was afraid that none of you could forgive me for what my family did. I guess it was probably kept from me for a reason."

"In that case, do you and Amaya want to sleep over?" Tohru asked. "I would really like it if you would! Hana and Uo are going to come over too. Kagura's still here, and she would really like to apologize to you."

"Alright, if it's okay with my parents." She put the phone down and asked both Amaya and her parents.

"Alright, everything's set. Amaya and I will be over in a little bit."

"That's great!" Tohru exclaimed happily (nearly in relief) "I'm so glad that you're not angry."

"Tohru, I couldn't be angry with you," Akemi laughed. "I'll see you in a little bit. Bye."

* * *

Within an hour, Akemi and Amaya were sitting at the Sohma dinner table eating a wonderfully cooked meal (thanks to Tohru and Kagura). As she entered the door, Kagura had rushed up apologizing profusely. Akemi just laughed and waved it off as if it was no big deal. To be perfectly honest, she was incredibly glad that no one was angry with her.

"So what's with not inviting us to go this afternoon, huh?" Uo asked, teasing Tohru playfully.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I completely forgot!" Tohru bowed apologetically.

"Tohru," Uo reminded softly, "I was totally kidding."

"Where's Shigure-sama?" Hana asked, suddenly looking around.

"In the tub." Yuki answered.

Amaya shuddered. "Friggin. Nasty."

"The last time I checked, bathing was a good thing," Akemi replied sarcastically.

"Yea, but that guy in a tub is a SCARY thought," Amaya said, shuddering again.

"Oh, it's unfortunate to hear you speak so ill of me, I'm hurt!" Shigure cried, coming around the corner clad in only a towel.

Amaya screamed and covered her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry to cause you such a shock, yes I do have a beautiful body, I admit. But really, it shouldn't surprise you all that much."

Suddenly, there was a small odor of something burning.

"Uh, Tohru, did you leave something in the oven?" Kyo asked.

"Oh no! I forgot the dessert!" She ran passed Shigure, who disappeared in a cloud of smoke, followed by a loud 'pop!'

Shigure was gone, leaving a towel lying on the floor.

"Oh god. Now he has no towel!" Amaya shrieked, mortified.

"Hey, it's Spot! Here Spot!" Akemi whistled for the dog, who had suddenly trotted down the hallway.

Flinching 'Spot' turned around and ran to Akemi.

"That's a good boy!" Akemi cooed, petting the dog lovingly. 'Spot' lay down on the ground, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Akemi was scratching behind his ears.

Yuki stood up and cleared his throat. "Excuse me Akemi, but Spot hasn't had his dinner yet and I'm sure he's very hungry."

"Alright," Akemi said regretfully. 'Spot' looked remorseful as well, but ran after Yuki all the same.

A few minutes later, Tohru came out with her dessert (which she had saved just in time) and Shigure (with clothes on, much to Amaya's relief).

The night was filled with games, jokes and destruction (mostly Kagura's doing). It was well into the night before anyone was tired.

Akemi yawned as she looked at her hand. They were playing BS.

"Amaya, are you sure we have to play another game after this? I'm really getting tired," Akemi pleaded. Amaya shook her head.

"No! I refuse! We're gonna play until Kyo is put in his place!" Amaya said, sneering at him.

They were dead even, with 3 cards each. Akemi was fortunate to have only a few cards as well. Poor Tohru was left with nearly half the deck.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not a very good liar, I guess," Tohru said, sighing.

"That's not a bad thing, Miss Honda," Yuki said kindly. Hana yawned as well.

"I'm beginning to agree with Akemi. I'm awfully tired as well."

"Oh come on," Uo protested. "I want to see Amaya kick orange top's ass!"

"Shut up, Uotani!" Kyo hissed, "I'm NOT going to lose!"

"Sure," She said sarcastically, "That's what you said when we played Rich Man, Poor Man."

"Well, are you ready to lose then?" Amaya said, holding up her last three cards. Kyo narrowed his eyes at her.

"Bring it on, bitch."

The rest of the group looked at the two foes uneasily. It was going to be an interesting game of BS.

The two played ferociously, doin what they could to keep from getting any more cards. The pile of cards get growing higher and higher, so big it could bring downfall to whomever was caught lying.

Finally, both Kyo and Amaya were down to their last card. Kyo's turn was first.

"One Three," he said, putting the card atop the large pile, a large smirk on his face.

Now it was win or lose for Amaya. But she wasn't worried. Not in the slightest.

"Bull Shit," She said, eying his card with a large smile, "You're lying." She turned his card over.

Ace of Spades.

Scowling, Kyo took the large pile of cards, which was much bigger than the amount anyone else had (yes, even Tohru). Akemi tried hard not to laugh at his misfortune.

"Now it's my turn," Amaya said sneeringly, "One three." She placed her card face up. "I win."

"Amaya, how did you know he was lying?" Tohru asked.

"Yea, I was wondering that myself," Akemi admitted, "How DID you do it?"

"Well, a while back I had all four threes and knowing that Kyo hadn't picked up any cards since I placed them, I knew he couldn't have had a three. Besides I heard Tohru complain about having most of the threes."

Kyo slammed his pile of cards down on the table and concluded, "This game sucks!"

Yuki smiled and laughed at him. "Stupid cat. Maybe losing is just a part of your curse."

Immediately after saying it, he regretted it. In the late night fatigue, he had forgotten that their guests had no idea about the curse.

"Curse?" Hana asked idly. Yuki, Kyo, Tohru and Kagura all froze in panic.

"Curse? Why that's silly. There's no curse on Kyo!" Tohru said laughing nervously. The other three joined in, agreeing vigorously. Uo raised her pencil-thin eyebrows.

"I think it's lack of sleep," she decided.

"Yea," Akemi agreed, "I think I'm pretty much out."

The others agreed wholeheartedly and began to set up their sleeping bags on the living room floor.

"Kyo, you're sleeping by me!" Kagura said, putting a vice grip hold on his arm. He sighed.

"Why does all the bad stuff have to happen to me?" He asked himself aloud.

The group settled in and talked nonsense for quite a while, laughing frequently. Insults were flying across the room, and the swearing was so colorful it could have painted a picture.

Akemi fell asleep feeling that she was right where she belonged.

* * *

I'm sorry that I rushed this chapter (especially the ending) I was in such a hurry to get it done and on. Don't worry, more to come soon.

**Up Next...**

**- Some interesting topics at breakfast**

**- More Sohmas: )**

**- Something drastic is about to happen to the Kamikaras...what is it?**

Love you guys! Don't forget to review!

Lola


	12. Morning Mania

I'm so sorry! Forgive me! I've got to make this quick...

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Amaya belongs to Paris/Rosebane (she's changed her name...) I own Akemi, that's it

* * *

Chapter 12 – Morning Mania

The morning's bright rays stung at Akemi's eyelids. She scrunched them up tightly and groaned. Opening them wearily, she looked up at the ceiling. Although she was an early riser, last night had been a late one, and she was a bit too lazy to actually move. Suddenly there was a loud popping noise from somewhere across the room. She shot up and looked around, startled by the sudden noise.

Everyone else was sleeping.

But upon closer inspection she noticed that Kyo was missing from his sleeping bag. His clothes were lying there in a heap on the ground.

_He must be off practicing,_ Akemi concluded. _Is that where that popping sound came from?_ She was distracted from her thoughts when a little orange tabby appeared from beneath Kyo's pajamas. Akemi could barely stop herself from squealing in delight as she reached out and picked up the cat.

"Oh, I didn't know they had a cat too!" Akemi giggled happily as she held the cat. "What's your name, little guy? Aren't you adorable!" The cat looked scared and it tried to wriggle itself from her grasp. She looked at the cat closely and smiled. "You remind me of Kyo, you know that?"

The cat stopped squirming.

"That's silly, I know," She said laughing to herself, "But you are a lot like him. Always trying to get away, right? Sometimes you just need to stay put." She gave the cat a hug to her chest and let go. "And the orange fur doesn't help much," she teased it.

The cat stared at her for a minute, as if to survey her, then ran away quickly.

Akemi smiled as it ran up the stairs. _'What a cute cat'_. She lay back down in attempt to sleep again, but it was of no use. She really was a morning person. She finally decided that if Kyo was already awake, then she would be fine to get up.

She stood and slowly tiptoed passed the mass of people sleeping on the floor. She made her way up the stairs, wary of any squeaky floorboards. When she reached the top, she heard another popping noise. She quickly made her way to his door and knocked.

"Kyo, it's Akemi. Are you in there?"

There was no reply.

"Alright, I'm coming in, and you better not be naked!" She opened the door, her hand over her eyes. When she heard no screaming of profanities, she opened one eye.

The room was empty.

She looked around for signs of Kyo's presence. His bed was made but a large pile of clothes sat atop it. The window was wide open. She looked down to the ground below to see him practicing his martial arts technique by himself. He looked very focused, but out of breath.

She grinned to herself and quickly went outside to join him.

"Good morning Kyo!" She said happily as she closed the door. He turned his head to look at her, broken from his concentration.(a/n: Yea right…)

"What do you want?" He asked, breathing hard.

"I was just wondering what you were doing," she said, "and if I could join in."

"Why are you wearing your pajamas?" He asked her. He shook his head at her fuzzy slippers and silk pajamas covered with stars and moons.

"Well I just woke up and saw that you were missing." She explained. "Hey, how long have you guys had a cat?"

Kyo looked suddenly tense. "Oh, that thing? He's been around for a while now. Shigure got him from some animal shelter. Somehow he really wants to keep it around, even though it obviously doesn't wanna be. Nobody else likes him anyway"

"Really? What's his name?"

"Uh…" Kyo tired to remain calm. "Fred."

"What a good name for a cat! Does he get along with Spot okay?" Akemi asked, intrigued.

"Sometimes. Usually Fred ignores Spot and goes someplace else. But we've got this pesky rat in the house that wont' leave Fred alone," Kyo said, sitting down on the porch. Akemi followed suit.

"That sucks. If you guys really don't want him, I'd be happy to give him a home," Akemi said smiling.

"Really?" Kyo said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "You'd want that thing for a pet?"

"Of course. I mean, I'd have to okay it with my parents, but I'd love to have him around. He seems like a wonderful cat, just lonely. The poor thing tried to run away from me."

"It's good to know I'm wanted by someone," Kyo muttered softly to himself with a grin.

"What was that?" Akemi asked.

"Nothing," Kyo said, standing back up. "Do you want to do some sparring before everyone else wakes up?"

Akemi grinned. "Sure."

* * *

Everyone else woke up eventually. As expected, Amaya was the last to wake, shortly after Yuki. Since Shigure had mysteriously disappeared, they decided on making breakfast themselves. 

"Okay, me and Tohru can do the cooking!" Amaya said, fully awake.

"Alright, that's okay with me. Everybody else just kick back. We'll do all the work ourselves," Tohru said, shooing people out of the kitchen. Most didn't object.

As they were cooking, Akemi walked into the kitchen. Amaya turned around immediately and said "Get out, right now! I'm not letting you anywhere NEAR this food!"

"I'm insulted," Akemi said, offended. "I'm not THAT bad of a cook."

"Who are you kidding? You can't even boil water- you burn that too!" Amaya said, "I don't think you've ever made anything relatively good tasting, and believe me I've tried all that you've cooked."

"Yea, well…I can still make hot pockets!" Akemi shot back.

"That doesn't count- all you do is press a button!" Amaya told her, "No go. Shoo! Out of the kitchen!" With angry eyes, Akemi left the kitchen.

Moments later Kyo entered.

"Remember, I hate leeks. Don't get them anywhere near my breakfast!"

He left.

As Tohru was making rice, Amaya snuck into the refrigerator and grabbed the leeks. A sly look on her face, she chopped the leeks into fine pieces. Then she concealed it on a plate of food. The two brought out the food and placed empty plates in front of them. They all piled the food ad ate merrily.

"I must admit, you are both exceptional cooks!" Akemi said. She looked at Kyo across the table, who's face was turning green. "Kyo, what's wrong?"

He spit out the food and yelled "this has leeks in it! I know it!"

"We didn't put any leeks in it, just as you requested," Tohru said, "right Amaya?"

Amaya nodded, her mouth full of noodles. She swallowed. "Leeks are easy to spot. You'd know if there were leeks."

"There ARE leeks, I already told you!" Kyo yelled, throwing his plate at Amaya. She caught it wordlessly, while the food flew and hit Akemi in the face.

"Kyo, you're overreacting. And now you've covered my sister in food. I think you owe her an apology."

"I don't owe anybody anything! I think it's you who owes me an apology for putting leeks in my food!"

"I think that this is getting us nowhere," Hana sighed.

"Hey Orange Top, stop being such a damn drama queen and shut up already," Uo said impatiently. "Some of us like to eat without you yelling and screaming."

"You have no idea how much I miss it being quiet at mealtimes," Yuki said with a sigh, "before I had to deal with his presence everyday of my life."

"I think I'm gonna go clean myself up," Akemi said, quite calmly, as she walked to the bathroom. Kagura turned to Kyo.

"You're going to apologize to her," she said, her voice dripping with a venomous warning.

"I don't gotta do anything, who do you think you are!" Kyo demanded.

"Mites?" Amaya asked lightly. Kyo glared at her. "What?" She defended, "I was just kidding, it's from a musical. Stop looking at me like that!"

When Akemi had gotten most of the noodles from her hair, she came back and sat down. Kagura cleared her throat and said, "Akemi, I think Kyo has something to say to you."

"No I do-" He began. Kagura dug her nails into his arm under the table, causing him to flinch in pain.

"Akemi, I'm sorry," he said weakly, trying very hard not to howl in pain.

"It's alright," Akemi said, "but I'm sure it's going to take some time to get this smell from my hair. Why did we have to eat fish? Why?"

"I think I'm going to go back and check on my garden," Yuki said standing up, "I was hoping that beans would be done by now."

"Here, let me take your plate to the kitchen," Tohru said, coming from behind him. He turned to move, but it was too late. They had already pressed up against each other, causing a loud POP! and smoke.

"Is Yuki gone already? Damn, that boy's too fast." Amaya said shaking her head.

"What was that noise?" Akemi said, looking around wildly.

"Oh, that? It's quite silly, actually. That was the uh… um…the…toaster." Tohru said, coming up with the first thing that came to mind.

"The toaster?" Uo asked skeptically.

"Yes, it makes popping noise when it's done."

"It smokes too?" Amaya asked, stifling a laugh.

"…Yes."

"Maybe you should get that fixed," Hana suggested.

"Yeah, we've been telling Shigure-sama that for quite awhile," She laughed nervously and pushed Yuki's clothes beneath the table with her foot.

Suddenly, Amaya screamed.

"What's wrong?" Akemi said in panic. Her sister pointed to Tohru's feet. A small, white mouse was quivering at the back of Tohru's left heel.

Amaya stood up on her chair and screamed loudly again. "It's a mouse! Get it! Get it! Kill that son of a bitch!" She continued to scream, until out of annoyance, Akemi kicked the chair over, causing her sister to fly off it.

"You're not afraid of mice. Stop drawing attention to yourself," she said drearily.

Amaya promptly grabbed a utensil from the table and began to chase the mouse around. Petrified, the poor thing ran and hid beneath the table.

"Amaya, please don't chase the poor mouse," Tohru said in alarm, "I'm actually quite fond of him!"

"Why? Mice are evil – they should die!" Amaya said, continuing to chase it. Akemi looked beneath the table and saw the poor mouse running for its life. She scooped up the mouse and eyed it closely.

"He seems pretty harmless to me," She observed, "Amaya, you should just leave the poor thing alone. Look, he's shaking!" Amaya got up from her knees and looked at the mouse.

"No, it's definitely a spawn of the devil," she decided.

"Amaya!" Akemi hissed, "stop it! Now I'm gonna let him go outside and if you ever so much as put one foot out that door I'll have to hurt you."

"Geez, it's just a mouse, 'kemi," Amaya said, suddenly acting like an eight year old. "I'm sorry, k?"

"Yea yea, tell that to this little guy," Akemi said, taking the mouse outside. She set him down gently and patted his head, "now don't you worry. Amaya'll leave you alone from now on, okay? Don't get yourself in trouble!"

Akemi came back inside and sat down. Tohru looked at her anxiously.

"Did you put Yu- er, the mouse someplace safe?" She asked. Akemi nodded. Tohru gave a relaxed sigh.

"That's good."

Minutes later, another POP! was heard. "Tohru, did you put in toast?" Uo asked. Tohru shook her head.

"No, it does that randomly," she said, faking a sigh. "We really need to get that fixed."

Yuki came rushing in soon afterward, wearing a different set of clothes and looked shaken.

"Yuki, what's wrong?" Akemi asked, noticing his look of trauma.

"And why are you wearing a different pair of clothes?" Hana pointed out.

"The beans aren't ready," Yuki said sadly, "and I always wear a different pair of clothes when I garden."

"Say, where are Kyo and Kagura?" Amaya asked suddenly realizing they were gone.

"They left a while ago," Akemi said, shaking her head, "she dragged him off to the grocery store, remember? Man you've got bad listening skills."

* * *

"We had lots of fun, thanks for inviting us over," Akemi told Tohru graciously. "Right Amaya?" Her sister didn't answer. She was busy watching a bumblebee buzz around her head. Akemi nudged her, annoyed.

"Wah- yea." She continued to watch the bumblebee.

Tohru just laughed and said, "I love it when you come to visit, so feel free anytime."

The two sisters waved goodbye and left. Not long after, Uo and Hana said their farewells too.

Minutes later, Shigure pulled up in his car. "Well, how did it go this morning? Sorry I couldn't be here, but you know how my editor can get. She was threatening to castrate me if I didn't finish by this afternoon…"

"Oh it went well," Yuki said, "except for everyone chasing after me, trying to squish me like I was some sort of vermin." He turned to Kyo and said before he could utter a word "Don't say anything."

"I wasn't going to," Kyo said defensively. "You're just stupid."

"Don't talk," Yuki retorted, "you're the one who was about to get kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? Dear god, what did I miss while I was gone?" Shigure said dramatically.

"Akemi tried to take Kyo home as a cat," Kagura explained.

"Really? We had that many transformations?" Shigure asked, surprised. The four nodded. "Well, we won't be doing THAT again."

* * *

Just in case you were wondering, Fred is the name of my friend's cat. The musical Amaya is referring to was one I was just in called "starmites" the dialouge goes like so:

Dazzle: You gotta join us!

Elanore: I don't gotta do anything, who do you think you are?

Space Punk: Mites!

Yea, really cheesy, so I decided it be a fun inside joke for those who live in town : )

I mislead you guys, I forgot that the "drastic" Kamikara event has to happen after some other stuff, my bad. More fun stuff next chapter!

Love you guys! (Don't forget to review!)

Lola


	13. Picnic Fun

I'm so sorry. I'm not even going to say anything other than this year has been crazy. It's winter already and I didn't even know it. :(

I heart you all

* * *

Chapter 13 - Picnic Fun

* * *

"Hey Akemi, what do you think about going someplace this weekend?" Tohru asked as they walked out of the building. School had just let out, and Tohru had to briskly walk to keep up with Akemi. 

"Sure," Akemi said with a smile, "I'm in a hurry though. I've got to head over to The New Tomorrow and meet Amaya before my parents realize I'm not home."

"I thought we could pack a picnic, if it's warm enough," Tohru said, "and we could invite Yuki and Kyo and Uo and Hana and Momiji and Hatsuharu," she stopped. "Will Amaya come?"

"If she can spare it. I know she's been really busy lately, with her starting college, and moving into her apartment. But I'll ask her," Akemi replied.

"What's her apartment like?" Tohru asked.

"I don't know," Akemi shrugged, "I haven't been there yet. She's always come to visit us. And I don't think she intends on letting us in until she decorates it. Apparently she's got some pretty awesome ideas. I always thought she was going to be an interior decorator, or artist of some kind."

"What is she going into?"

"I'm not sure exactly what her major is, but I know it's somewhere in the field of science," Akemi replied with a smile, "I would be scared if she ended up going into some sort of Chemistry field. God forbid, she nearly caused an explosion at our last school."

"You miss her, don't you?" Tohru inquired, her tone changing to a softer voice.

Akemi nodded sadly. "A ton. It's funny; I used to get so mad whenever she'd steal people's attention. I felt so overshadowed by her. Now that she's away, I feel like part of me is missing. It's like someone took away my clothes and I'm left standing naked in the middle of the street. I guess that's why Amaya has always been there to "protect" me."

"Maybe it's better that she doesn't come," Tohru said softly, "this weekend."

Akemi hook her head. "No, I want her to come if she can. I'll ask her when I see her."

* * *

"Sure I'll come," Amaya smiled, plugging in the amps, "Well, as long as you want me to." 

Akemi rolled her eyes. " 'maya, I wouldn't have asked you to come if I didn't want you to." As the two continued to set up the sound equipment, they talked about what they had missed in each other's lives.

"Haru said the funniest thing the other day-" Akemi started, before Amaya interrupted.

"Yeah, I know, you told me," she rolled her eyes.

"I did?" Akemi asked, confused. "I don't remember that…"

"On the phone, three days ago," Amaya said monotonously. Suddenly her tone changed as she smiled "I think you have a thing for him, lil' sis."

Akemi rolled her eyes and laughed, "Yeah right. Very funny." She turned away, trying to hide the uncomfortable look on her face.

"See, there it is!" Amaya said, standing up and pointing at her sister's blushing face. "You do! You do!"

"Shh!" Akemi said, pushing her sister away from her. "You are too loud for your own good!" She sighed and looked her sister in the eye. "Don't get any ideas. I don't have any feelings for Haru other than friendship."

Amaya held a straight face for about three seconds, then burst into laughter. "Sorry, but you're a bad liar," she said between gasps of breath. "It's pretty much obvious that you like him, so stop trying to hide it."

"Fine, don't believe me!" Akemi threw her hands in the air and went to go get ready for the show.

"Hey, I was just kidding! Wait up!"

* * *

The show went well, but by the time Akemi got home, she could barely keep her feet from trudging through the door. It was more difficult now, with Amaya gone, because her parents only had one teenager to keep an eye on, thus, more likely to come check in on her. 

She snuck quickly through her window right onto her bed. She had barely gotten her jacket and shoes off when someone knocked on the door. Akemi rushed under her sheets and grabbed a book from her beside table.

"Come in," she said.

Her mother peeked through the door and smiled. "You're still up?" She asked.

Akemi nodded. "I couldn't sleep, so I'm reading." She checked to look at the book.

Crap.

It was her History book.

"I don't know how interesting that is," her mother said.

Akemi shrugged. "Well, I was trying to make myself fall asleep. I thought it would work."

"You miss your sister don't you?" Her mother asked.

Akemi nodded. "Yeah. It's hard without her here." Her mother ran her fingers through Akemi's dark red hair.

"Don't worry sweetie. I was thinking we could go down and visit her tomorrow at her new apartment. What do you say?" She asked.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could go with Tohru Honda and some of my other friends on a picnic. Amaya was invited too. Can I go mom?" Akemi asked. She was careful not to mention the name 'Sohma'.

Her mother sighed. "I suppose so. We just haven't done much together lately. You've been so busy with school and everything…I feel like you've grown up and gone off on your own as well."

Akemi was confused as to why her mother was all the sudden interested in spending time with her. After all, until this point, her parents were more or less distant to their daughters.

"Mom, are you alright?" Akemi asked wearily.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" her mother asked hurriedly. "Dear, it's time for bed, I'll take that book. Why don't you try playing some soft music instead? I'll turn your light off." She kissed her daughter's forehead and turned off the light. "Goodnight Akemi."

"Night mom."

Shortly after, Akemi fell into deep sleep.

* * *

"Mom, I'll see you later!" Akemi called as she made her way out the door. 

It was now warm enough for her to start riding her bike again. Although she enjoyed spring, she missed the light powdered snow and crisp air winter had brought. She rode down the road, smiling to herself. Today would be a wonderful day.

Tohru had called early that morning, telling her what to bring and where to meet. So far, everyone who had been asked to come was still coming. Even Amaya was coming, who Akemi had called directly after Tohru had called her.

"Akemi!" Momiji came running for her as she stood her bike against a tree.

"Momiji!" Yuki called firmly, "be careful not to _trip_!" He gave Momiji a stern look. Momiji nodded and put his outstretched arms down at his sides.

"Fine," said regretfully, "I just don't see why you won't let me have any fun, Yuki!" Then he turned to Akemi. "I'm so excited that we're having a picnic! I brought bratwurst! And Tohru said you were gonna bring some weird American food your dad taught you to make!"

Akemi laughed. "Yeah…it's not that great, you know. And I didn't exactly make it, since I'm a really bad cook. My dad made it for me. It's called zucchini bread and it's not that special…and I don't even know if it's American…"

"That's ok! I wanna eat some now!" Momiji said, reaching for the bread.

"Wait one goddamned minute, Momiji!" Kyo said bitterly, "not everyone is even here yet!"

"Aww, Kyo, don't be mean! I just wanna try a little bit!" Momiji whined.

"You'll get some later! For now just shut up and go sit down!" Kyo said harshly, pointing to the red and white-checkered blanket Tohru had laid neatly on the ground. He sulked back to the blanket and sat down in a huff.

"Well it's nice to see you all," Akemi said happily, "…but where's Haru?"

"Off getting lost, no doubt," Kyo said, rolling his eyes again, "who cares about that damn cow anyway."

"Cow?" Akemi asked.

"I call him a cow because he's slow. And his hair is black and white," Kyo explained quickly, "Forget it. Don't tell him I called him that."

Moments later, Haru showed up, followed by Amaya.

"I found him somewhere near my apartment," she explained, "completely lost."

"I wasn't lost," He objected, "I was simply taking a scenic route through this beautiful city we live in."

Yuki shook his head, "when are you going to admit you have poor sense of direction?"

"Who cares," Uo said, "let's eat."

"Yes, I'm famished," Tohru agreed.

The group passed food around and ate, sharing stories, jokes and laughter.

"I'm going to have to disagree," Amaya said, "last night's show was better than last Tuesday's."

Akemi shook her head. "No it wasn't. I definitely screwed up on that piano part during our last tune."

"I didn't notice."

Akemi turned to Haru, who was taking a huge bite of an apple.

"You were there last night?" She asked, flattered.

"For a little while," he said, "I got there a little late, but I heard a few songs."

"What did you think!" Akemi and Amaya asked in unison.

"It sounded really great," he said, "I liked the songs you played. Any originals?"

"A few…one I wrote at the beginning," Amaya said, "but most were covers. Akemi is working on her brainchild song. Right 'Kemi?"

"Hmm?"

"You have a song in the works," Amaya repeated.

"Well, yeah…but it's not really going anywhere…" Akemi said reluctantly, "My brainchild may be developmentally disabled."

"Well that's a good attitude," Amaya said sarcastically. Akemi glared at her.

"Ok, I'm not as good at songwriting as you are. Sorry," she said, turning away from her.

"Not true. When you actually write them, they're better than mine," Amaya said, "just because I can put some cords together and write some nonsense doesn't make me good at it."

Akemi wasn't quite listening. She was looking a bird, flying to her nest to feed her babies, which sat chirping incessantly in their nest. _How easy would it be to live that kind of life?_ She thought cynically.

"This was really fun," Tohru said later as they packed up. "Can we do this again sometime?"

"Well, there's a school dance next Saturday," Yuki said, "we could all hang out beforehand."

"WHAT?" Tohru gasped.

"There's a school dance…" Yuki repeated.

"When did we find out about this?" Tohru said, "I didn't think I forgot about something that important and now I don't know what to do!"

"Tohru, relax," Yuki said, gently calming her, "the only reason I know about it is because I'm head of student council. We were going to announce it Monday."

"How fun! A dance!" Momiji said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically.

"You better not wear a dress this time," Kyo warned, "or someone is going to beat you up."

"KYOO! Why are you so MEAN to me! Haru, tell him that he's being mean!" Momiji wailed, pointing at Kyo.

"I am not being mean, you stupid brat! You wanna see me mean? Come over here and I'll show you mean!"

"Waaa! Someone make him stop! He's gonna hit me!"

Akemi smiled at their foolish antics, but a hint of worry hid behind her grin.

A school dance.

That was something she had absolutely no practice with. What would she wear? Who would she go with? How in the world could she learn how to dance in less than a week?

A few things popped into mind. Particularly, a smiling face. One who made her heart beat fast and cheeks flush. A certain black and white haired someone…

* * *

I'll try to update soon. :) 


	14. Guitar Strings and Heartaches

I know it's been a really long time! Well, at least it feels like it. I've been busy…as always. And things are just starting to get interesting. I'm sorry this chapter feels a bit like a filler (or at least to me, since I'm writing it and some exciting stuff is about to happen…) but some of it really needed to be done/said before the more intricate stuff gets in the way.

Oh and the song featured later in the fic is called **"Love Left for Me" by M2M** (it's a very good song, especially for a piano/guitar duet of girls)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Baskets or it's characters, only Akemi. Paris Rose has full ownership over Amaya and a box of crayons that I just bought her for her birthday. (Happy birthday Rose Bane)

MUCH LOVE! (Enjoy the fic!)

**Chapter 14- Guitar Strings and Heartaches**

* * *

As much as she didn't want to, Akemi spent lots of her time thinking about what Yuki had said. There was going to be a school dance coming up. She had never been to a co-ed dance in her life. That was the problem with her last school. All girl schools had not been much fun.

Ever time Akemi thought of going, dancing, her stomach twisted into knots. Amaya simply laughed at her.

"So what's the big deal? You dance with some people and have a fun time."

"You've forgotten I can't dance," Akemi said.

Ignoring her sister, Amaya continued, "are you going to ask someone?"

"Like who?"

"Like Hatsuharu."

Akemi was extremely lucky she was talking to her sister over the phone, because her bright blush would have been a dead giveaway. But instead, she used her acting.

"I hadn't thought of it," She said simply.

"Yeah, right."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

" Come on 'kemi, you're not fooling anyone. You were blushing like mad the other day," Amaya said coyly. "Tell me what you want, but I don't believe you."

"Well anyway, I'm going to hang out with them today," Akemi said, changing the subject.

"Who's they?"

"Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, Momiji and Haru," Akemi said, "wish you could come."

"Yeah yeah. College sucks, I know. Have fun today. I'll see you later tonight."

"Alright. Did you get a set list ready?" Akemi asked.

"well…not exactly…" Amaya said quietly.

"Amaya! What are we supposed to do without a set list?" Akemi asked irritably.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll get it by tonight. And even if I don't, it doesn't matter. You know every song we play like the back of your hand."

"That doesn't matter. Just try to have it by tonight, ok?"

"Alright little sister, I will, I promise. See you tonight." She hung up.

Akemi sighed. She was stressed. Hopefully, this afternoon (and evening) would take her mind off of things. What she needed was a well-deserved vacation from herself.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Akemi said, running up to the rest of her friends, sitting idly at a table in the coffee shop.

"Hey Akemi, how's it going?" Tohru asked.

"Pretty good. Sorry Amaya couldn't make it. She says hi."

"Tell her we say hi back," Yuki said with a smile.

"And tell her she's a crazy bitch," Kyo said with a scowl. "That'll make her blood boil."

"Akemi!" Momiji went running towards her. Akemi spread her arms ready to hug him.

"Momiji!" Tohru yelled alarmingly. He stopped and looked at her sadly. "Uh, don't run when you have that cocoa in your hands. You might spill it all over yourself."

"Yeah, I know," He said, sitting down on the couch next to Yuki. Akemi looked around.

"Where's Haru?" She asked.

"Not here yet," Yuki shrugged. "He could be lost."

"He told me he had to go someplace first," Momiji said thoughtfully, sipping the hot chocolate.

"Where'd he go?" Akemi asked, "I can go find him and see if he's lost."

"Well, I think he said he had to go stop by the park we were at last weekend," Momiji said, "he said he had to check something there for class on Monday."

"I'll be right back," Akemi said, standing up, "don't worry, I've got my bike, so I'll be quick."

* * *

Akemi's heart quickened when she saw Haru's bike leaned up against a tree. She put hers on the other side of the tree and scanned the park for anyone else. The spring breeze brought scents of newly budding flowers to her nose. She walked over to the park pavilion and upon getting closer, heard voices. She recognized one immediately as Haru's.

The other voice she did not recognize.

Akemi tiptoed around the outside of the pavilion, knowing they were on the other side. She did not want to intrude on their conversation. But she could hear it all the same.

"Haru, this is a waste of my time. Why are we here?" The other voice spoke. It was a woman's. Akemi felt a sting of jealousy and curiosity, listening to this woman speak. Her voice was low and melodic, yet it sounded ugly so irritable.

"I had to tell you something Rin. It's important," Haru said, very calmly.

"Well, what is it?"

"I want you to reconsider what you did last week. I want you to reconsider us."

_Us?_ Akemi frowned. _No, it couldn't be…_

"Haru, you know why things didn't work. There is nothing to discuss," she said sharply.

Akemi could no longer stand her curiosity and allowed herself to peer around the corner and see this woman.

She immediately felt her stomach twinge in jealousy as she saw her. Her hair was long and dark as a raven's wing. Her skin looked like porcelain- white and fragile. Her eyes were dark, mysterious.

Haru grabbed her hands. "Rin, please don't do this. Can't you see I love you?"

Akemi could feel her heart break inside of her. Love her?

As she saw Haru lean in to kiss her, Akemi could bear no more. She turned her heel and ran back to her bike. She stopped as she reached it, heart beating painfully in her chest.

'_How could I?_' she thought to herself. '_How could I have been so stupid?_'

* * *

"Did you find him?" Momiji asked.

"By the looks of it, no," Kyo said dryly.

Akemi faked a smile. "He wasn't there. I gave up. I'm killing for a frozen coffee," she said. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go stand in line."

She walked away, feeling awful. It was all she could do in her power not to let the tears fall from her eyes right then and there.

'_No,'_ she thought to herself, '_I won't do this. Not here, not now.'_

"You aren't fooling anyone you know."

"huh?" Akemi turned to see Kyo standing behind her.

"You found him."

"Why do you say that?" Akemi asked.

"I can see it in your eyes. You found him with her," Kyo said simply. The words stung and Akemi flinched. "Am I right?"

Akemi nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"Don't worry," he said, "I lied. I doubt either Momiji or Tohru will catch that. Yuki, I'm not so sure. I think he's too stupid to notice."

"How did you?"

"Because you looked like you were going to cry," Kyo shrugged. Akemi looked at him incredulously. How did he know?

Almost knowing what she was thinking, he said quietly, "my mother…she used to have that look all the time. You'd know she'd be trying to hold it in by smiling all the time…but you could see the tears right through her. Or at least I could. She had that look almost every time I looked at her."

Akemi felt her heart fill with sympathy. "Oh Kyo, I'm sorry. That isn't something you should ever have to see-"

"Don't try protecting me," he said suddenly.

"It wasn't a protection, it was a well wish," Akemi informed him.

"Well whatever it is, I don't want it!" He snapped.

"I'm sorry," Akemi said quietly. There was silence.

"No," he said, "I'm sorry. I need to stop snapping at people like that."

The two ordered and went back to where everyone was sitting.

"Miss Honda, I have a large favor to ask of you," Yuki said.

"What is it?"

"Well, you know with the school dance coming up and everything…"

"Yes?"

"Well, I'm afraid of hurting people's feelings…I've received a lot of notes from girls lately…and I was wondering if perhaps you would…well…"

"You want me to go with you?" Tohru asked incredulously.

"Well, yes. I feel simply awful making it sound like I'm using you. I really do want to go with you, if you are willing-"

"Of course I'll go with you!" Tohru said delightedly. Her face suddenly fell. "Although, I don't have anything to wear."

"Oh don't worry about that," Yuki said, "Unfortunately, Ayame has been prodding around where he doesn't belong and found out about the dance. I'm sure he's making you something as we speak."

"Oh dear! Tell him he doesn't need to! That's really too much work for him to do and if he does I'll feel awful! Oh, do you suppose he's started? I don't want him to have to do that, I would make something myself! Oh dear, I'll have to pay him for it!" Tohru clasped her hands to her mouth and began to panic.

Yuki laughed, "Actually I'm sure he's probably done with it now. Shigure said he was very excited about making you something. And don't worry. Ayame would never dream of making you pay for something like that. Consider it as a way of expressing my gratitude for saving me."

Tohru smiled, "well, if you put it that way…"

"Tohru and Yuki are going to the dance together! That's really cute! Akemi, who are you going with?" Momiji asked her eagerly.

"At the moment, no one," she said thoughtfully. She looked over at Kyo, who looked incredibly irritable. She nudged him playfully. "Unless Kyo here wants to go with me."

"What?" he said, looking at her.

"How about it," she said with a shrug, "you aren't going with anyone and neither am I. You've got nearly as many fan girls as Yuki. Consider it a favor repaid."

He shrugged. "Yeah yeah. Fine, I'll go with you if It'll make you happy." Akemi smiled at him. "Just don't tell Kagura."

"Oh I won't, I promise," She said, pretending to lock her mouth with a key. She turned to him quietly. "I just figured that you'd want the company, since Tohru's going with Yuki."

He glared at her. "But I- uh- what?"

"You're not fooling me," she winked. "But don't worry, it's our secret."

* * *

Akemi returned home that afternoon feeling tired and weary. She was happy that she had saved Kyo from anguish (or momentarily at least) but her own heart still ached. She found it funny that she had worried all week as to what would be suitable to wear and how to go about asking people, but now she was numb to the whole thing. Somehow asking Kyo was not a big deal, since they were friends, and the words had just come out so easily.

She felt her stomach turn uneasily as she thought of Haru and that girl she had seen today. What was her name again? She didn't care.

What mattered was that Haru's heart was occupied- and somehow it hurt Akemi to see.

"Why should I care?" She laughed outloud to herself, lying alone on her bed, "It's not like I'm in love with him or anything. I don't like him. He's just my friend. Just like Kyo and Yuki and Momiji…" She frowned. How easy it would be if she could lie and believe herself.

* * *

"Akemi…are you ok? You look like you ate a bad egg salad sandwhich."

"I'm fine, Amaya," Akemi said with a smile. "I am just ready to do this show and go home to get some sleep."

"Bad day?"

"No, not particularly."

"Liar."

"Really," Akemi insisted, "I hung out with my friends, I got a date to the school dance, what else do I need?"

"You got a date? You mean you asked Hatsuharu?" Amaya asked excitedly.

Akemi raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said I was going with him?"

Amaya raised her eyes. "You mean you're going with someone else?"

"Yeah, I'm going with Kyo."

"Kagura's gonna kill you."

"No. She's not gonna find out," Akemi said, "and even so, I'd explain the circumstances to her. She'd understand."

"I certainly hope so," Amaya said, shaking her head. "Oh, hey! I have the set list!" She handed to her sister proudly. Akemi looked it over.

"Hey sis," Akemi said, looking at it.

"What's wrong, you don't like it?"

"I do, but I was wondering if we could add that new song we've been working on."

"But 'Kemi, we've only gotten through the entire thing three times!" Amaya objected.

"So? We open with it and if it sounds bad, we stop and say 'I think we should tune now'. It'll be fine," Akemi said waving her hand.

"um…are you sure?" Amaya said.

"Please 'maya? I have a feeling about this one? It'll be really good, I promise!" Akemi protested. Amaya shrugged.

"Fine, but if they fire us, I'm blaming it on you."

* * *

The light went up and Akemi cleared her throat.

Amaya began to play the guitar, the piano beneath it playing softly. Akemi took a sharp breath and began to pour her frustration through the microphone.

**_You just said the worst thing_**

_**You could ever say **_

_**Well I **_

_**Don't understand why **_

**_It just can't be this way_**

_**I'm crying because of you**_

The two broke out into harmonic bliss, Akemi covering melody, Amaya on the higher descant harmony. Just as she had promised, the chords fit together perfectly.

**_Oh I hate, yes I hate all your lies_**

_**I'm so scared**_

_**And I fear what I see in your eyes**_

_**But I hope, and I dream, and in search, and I pray**_

_**That you have some love left for me**_

_**Do you have some love left for me?**_

Amaya took the second verse, still strumming along on her guitar as she sang.

_**You just did the worst thing you could ever do to me**_

_**Well, I don't understand why and I cannot see**_

_**That it's hurting because of you**_

The two continued trading the intricate melodic line and adding harmony until the reached the end, slowing to a pause.

The crowed erupted in ecstatic clapping.

Akemi looked at her sister, a large grin on her face. Amaya gave her thumbs up and went to the microphone. "Hello everyone! We are the Kamikara sisters! Thank you so very much for joining us here tonight at the New Tomorrow!"

* * *

"The show went well tonight, don't you think?" Akemi said as they drove home. Amaya nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I do. I'm glad you convinced me to open with that song- the crowd loved it," Amaya said, then looked at her sister curiously. "Any particular reason as to why?"

"No, not really."

"Oh come on Akemi, you can't lie to me, I can read you like a book. Why did you want to do that song so badly."

Akemi shrugged. "I don't know…I just sort of felt it. You know what I mean? It had been playing through my head all day and I just really felt like we needed to perform it." This was only half true. Earlier that day when she had returned home, Akemi had felt the song welling up inside her. She knew the only way to relax herself again would be performing it that evening.

"Well whatever the reason, I thank you for being so enthusiastic about it." They pulled in the driveway.

"Uh oh."

"What?"

"Mom and Dad's lights are still on. I guess you're spending the night," Akemi said pointing.

"Eh, so what? I don't mind being home. I don't want you getting caught. Although all my stuff is away at my new apartment…"

"Don't worry. How about we have a sleepover on the floor?" Akemi suggested. Amaya shrugged.

"We haven't done that in a long time. Sounds like fun." Her sister grinned at her.

That night the two girls hardly slept, but instead giggled and talked into the early morning.

* * *

Like I said, the next chapter is funny/scary/amusing/exciting/emo

All my love! Mwah! Don't forget to review!

Lola


	15. Split Personality

Hooray, new chapter! I had most of this done before I even really got to this part of the story, because this is a big event. Things are really going to get into motion soon (I guarantee it)

Thanks guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Baskets. I only own Akemi. Amaya is Rosebane's. Ok.

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Split Personality **

* * *

"Akemi, come out of the bathroom, I want to see you!" Tohru urged.

"No! I can't!"

It was a mere hour before the dance and Tohru sat patiently outside the bathroom door for Akemi to come out. The boys weren't talking to each other – it was clear that Kyo was incredibly jealous of Yuki.

"Alright…I'm coming out," Akemi said from the other side of the door.

She opened it and stepped outside. Tohru gasped.

"Akemi, you look beautiful!"

The dress Akemi wore was one of simple elegance. It was a powder blue that went down to her knees. It had thin straps and a modest cut – and it fit Akemi perfectly. A white ribbon ran across the waist of the dress. A similar white ribbon ran through her hair. She had small touches of makeup on – enough to make her look angelic. Her shoes were healed sandals that had once belonged to Amaya (before she promptly grew out of them).

"Speak for yourself!" Akemi said, staring at Tohru, "you look gorgeous!"

Tohru was a vision of heavenly beauty. Her light brown hair had been partially pulled back with a long ribbon. Her dress was long and pink – the sleeves went down to elbow's length. Unlike Akemi's, it went down to her ankles, which met a pair of light pink slippers to match. She too was wearing a touch of make up (and seemed embarrassed about it).

"Ayame certainly did a good job with that dress," Akemi said, observing it, "it fits you perfectly."

"I know," Tohru said, "I still sort of feel bad about it." She turned to Akemi. "So how was Amaya's visit?"

Akemi smiled. "Good. It's always nice when she stops by."

**Flashback **

"_**Ok, that's it, stop moping," Amaya said with an annoyed sigh.**_

_**Akemi looked up from her magazine. "I'm not moping," she frowned. **_

"_**Whatever. Don't deny to yourself that you're depressed. You need to get it out," She said. Amaya spotted a teddy bear at the corner of her sister's bed and an idea came to her. **_

"_**Here," she said, flinging it at Akemi. "Pretend it's whoever you're upset with. This is getting ridiculous." **_

_**Akemi blinked. "You want me to pretend that my teddy bear is Haru?" **_

"_**Aha! I knew you were mad at him! I knew it! I knew it!" Amaya said, pointing to her sister defiantly. Akemi narrowed her eyes.**_

"_**I thought you were trying to help me." **_

"_**I am helping you. Now, seriously, try talking to it like you were talking to Hatsuharu. We did it in psychology class." **_

_**Akemi blinked. "Wait a minute, I thought you were going into a science field!" **_

"_**It is a science field," Amaya said simply. **_

"_**I can't believe they're letting you in a psychology class-"**_

"_**Oh come on, just try it," Amaya pleaded.**_

"_**No, it won't-"**_

"_**TRY IT!" **_

"_**Okay, okay!" Akemi said, not wanting to deal with her sister in a volatile mood. She turned to the teddy bear quite awkwardly. "Haru," she began quite lamely, "listen…I consider you my friend. And lately, you haven't been acting like it. That stunt you pulled on Sunday was total crap. You seem to be so hung up on his Rin girl that you've completely forgotten about everyone else." She was getting emotional now. "What is it about her, that she matters more than your friends do? What about us? Are you going to leave us out to dry? You stupid-" At this point, she was strangling the poor helpless teddy bear. **_

_**"Akemi, um…I think you've let it all out…you can give me the bear now."**_

_**End Flashback**_

"Are you girls almost ready?" Kyo's annoyed voice came from downstairs. The girls giggled.

"Coming!"

The two bounded down the stairs and were met by both Kyo and Yuki, dressed very nicely. Akemi didn't help but notice the way both their faces softened as they saw Tohru come down the stairs after her. Akemi giggled to herself.

"Miss Honda, you look absolutely beautiful," Yuki said, kissing her hand as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Kyo rolled his eyes and turned to Akemi with a frown. He didn't fool her in the slightest. She nudged him playfully.

"Come on," she said, "ready to go?"

"Oh you all look so marvelous!" Shigure said, wiping a faux tear from his eye. "I'm so proud of all my little ones!"

"Ok, we're leaving now," Yuki said quickly, ushering them out the door before Shigure could get another word in. "We'll be back later!"

* * *

The four arrived at the dance a little early to help with final preparations (since Yuki was class president). When the clock finally struck 7:00, people began to stream in and the dance began.

For once, Akemi decided to let loose, and she surprised herself by having lots of fun. She even forgot, momentarily about Haru. Well, that is until she saw him.

"Akemi!" Haru called as she walked away, pretending not to see him. "Akemi!" He called again. Still, she ignored him and continued to make her way through the crowd. She tried to weave and duck between people as best she could, in order to make her way outside. Finally, he decided to follow her, pushing his way through the various people.

He caught her as soon as she got outside. "Akemi, why are you ignoring me!" He grabbed her shoulder to get her to stop. She wrenched his hand of her shoulder and whirled around to face him.

"I have good reason, after all, YOU ignored me," She spat angrily.

"What do you mean?" He asked uncertainly.

"Sunday! You don't remember your promise? You were supposed to meet us all downtown! I thought you got lost or hurt or something! But I found you with HER." The words slid off her tongue reluctantly, as a bitter taste filled her mouth. Haru's eyes widened.

"You…saw us?" He asked.

"Yes. And it wouldn't be all that big a deal if you hadn't just decided to ditch us. God, you should have seen Tohru. She was worried too. Of course, Yuki and Kyo wouldn't say anything. They probably knew all along. Even Momiji didn't know where you were. Who is she that she's so much more important?" She asked heatedly.

"Look, Rin is different. You've got to understand-"

"She's important to you, you've loved her since you met her, she's made you who you are today, **I DON'T CARE.** You're love life…has nothing to do with me. And I'm not going to sit around…I WON'T sit around and wait for you to have time for us anymore. And I WILL NOT be your third wheel. So you can go find her and do whatever the hell you want, but leave me OUT of it." With that she walked away, leaving Haru standing there.

'_Akemi, please…don't do this to me,_' he thought anger rising. But it was to no avail. His vision started to blur as his hands shook with fury. He could feel himself fall, into the darkness within him.

* * *

Akemi had walked away in such a fury that when she finally realized just how far she had walked, she had no idea where she was. Somewhere on the lower side of town, and quite a bit away from the school.

She walked down the small street lined with little shops, hoping to find someone to ask for directions.

She suddenly heard a loud cough behind her. A woman stood outside a building, coughing relentlessly. Her long black hair streamed down her back, little pieces in her face. Akemi recognized her at once.

"Are you…Rin?" She asked. The girl looked at her with an emotionless expression.

"It's Isuzu. Only the people I care about can call me Rin." Her voice, like hollow wood, was still an ugly tone as Akemi had remembered. It was filled with an empty expression that stung at her ears.

Surprised at her reply, Akemi stuttered, "O-okay." There was an awkward silence between them, an unspoken, unrealized tension. Then-

"Look, I know about you and Hatsuharu," Akemi started, surprised she had used his full name. Isuzu looked at her with intense eyes. "And he's my friend. And I know that you're very important to him and stuff," She stumbled with her words, beginning to ramble. She finally broke off and took a deep breath, beginning again.

"The point is…I want you to take care of him, ok? Be good to him. I care about him…a lot."

In her same cold voice, Isuzu answered, "I'm not dating him, if that's what you think. We did. But that was a long time ago. Although he still has feeling for me…they aren't returned."

Akemi almost gasped. She was appalled at her own behavior. She had never meant to get mad at Haru, but her emotions toyed with her. 'After I said such cruel things,' She thought. "Thank you Isuzu-san. Thank you very much. I…I have to find him." With that, she took off running as fast as she could, leaving Isuzu in the distance of her mind.

* * *

Still breathing heavily, Akemi walked with a quickened pace. She had given up on running, after discovering it was nearly impossible for her to run in a skirt. '_Damn school dance_,' She thought angrily as she looked wildly around. She was close enough to see the school in the distance. '_He has to be around somewhere,_' she thought desperately.

"Hatsuharu!" She called out, feeling futile as her voice echoed.

"What the hell do you want?"

"…Haru?" She turned to see a figure standing behind her. But the figure wasn't Haru…or was it?

"Yea, what do you want? Huh?" His once kind eyes now looked cold and dangerous. He scowled darkly at her as she quivered in fear.

'_This isn't like him…what do I do?_' She thought.

"Well, say something! You gonna stand there and stare at me all night?" He yelled. She still kept silent, unable to move any part of her. "SAY SOMETHING!" He yelled again, slapping her with across the face with the back of his hand. She slowly crept her shaking hand up to her cheek.

Her eyes stung at her as she meekly said, "Haru, this isn't your normal behavior, what's wrong? This isn't like you…"

"And how the hell would you know!" He said harshly, raising his hand again.

"You know it's not nice to hit girls, Haru." A voice said in a warning tone. Akemi turned to see a relieving sight. Haru, however wasn't as pleased.

"Oh, is Kyo-kun jealous? After all, you don't really know how to get girls anywhere NEAR you, now do you? Why don't you run along and mind your own business. I'm sure you'd love to lose to Yuki again," Haru said in a sneering tone, not loosening his grip on Akemi's arm.

"Stay away from her Haru. Let go now."

"Oh shut up you stupid cat. This is none of your business."

"I SAID STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" Kyo yelled, grabbing Akemi's arm and pulling her away from Haru.

Gripping his jacket sleeve, she cried, "Kyo, what's wrong with him? We have to calm him down, we need to find out what's wrong!"

He shook his head. "No Akemi, there's nothing we can do. He's Black Haru now."

Before she could ask as to what that meant, Haru charged at Kyo, who caught his arm just in time. "Run." Akemi bit her lip and stayed put.

"What the hell are you still standing there for? Run, dammit!" He yelled. She needed no more persuasion. She turned her heel and ran as fast as she could.

Kyo turned back to Haru. "Good, she's gone. Now I won't feel so bad about beating you into the ground." He threw his jacket to the ground and rolled up his sleeves in anticipation. Haru moved closer to him, but Kyo pushed him backwards with full strength, catching him slightly off guard. He recovered quickly, retaliating by punching Kyo in the face.

With no time to react, Kyo jabbed Haru in the stomach with his left elbow. Haru clutched his stomach, leaning over slightly. Kyo took his right forearm and slammed it into Haru's back. Gritting his teeth in pain, he hooked his arms around Kyo's stomach and flipped him onto the ground, pushing his hands against Kyo's.

Kyo promptly kicked Haru in the jaw, forcing him onto his back. Forcing Haru's hands down, Kyo yelled, "Haru, listen to me! Stop this now! What's wrong with you? How can you hurt Akemi like that? She care's about you…She's practically love with you!"

Haru immediately stopped struggling and looked up at his foe in disbelief. "She's…what?" Slowly, the darkness ebbed away and retreated as he began to weaken.

"Of course! You don't really see the way she looks at you, do you? She worships the ground you walk on, Haru! You're too busy worrying about that damn Rin to even notice what you have in front of you!" Kyo said, letting him up.

Haru sat up and looked at Kyo with sad eyes. "I didn't know," He whispered. He sat in the same position for a few minutes, then suddenly stood up. "I should go, before I cause more trouble." With that, he left.

Kyo stood motionless before a single thought put him back into motion. '_Akemi_'

* * *

Akemi wandered in the darkness, unaware of her surroundings. Her thoughts kept wandering back to Haru and Kyo, and their violent notions of the moment. 'Please, let them be alright,' she thought anxiously. She suddenly collapsed to the ground, weak from running. Her breathing was heavy as she sat and cried silently.

"Need help up?" A voice asked kindly.

Kyo stood over her, his hand reaching out gently. She immediately took it and gave him a small smile. " Kyo! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Where's Haru? Is he okay?" She asked nervously.

" I'm fine. Haru's okay too. With a little persuasion he went back to normal. Neither of us got more than a scratch," Kyo assured her. She gave a breath of relief.

"Thank you Kyo. You saved me. You're a great friend," she said earnestly, leaning forward and hugging him tightly. He gave a small inward gasp as this happened, but to his shock, he did not transform.

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" He pushed her away from him, staggering slightly. "What the hell is going on here? Akemi…are you not telling me something?" He asked in disbelief.

"What? What's wrong?" She looked up at him in alarm.

"Are you…a guy or something?" He asked tentatively.

"KYO!" She pushed him away slightly. "How can you be so mean! I'm trying to thank you! Of course I'm not a guy, why would you say that!"

"I'm sorry," he said confused, patting her shoulder awkwardly. '_What's going on? I didn't transform! She's…She can't be…_'

"Come on, let's go." He grabbed her hand and led her off to the school.

"Why are we going back to school?" She asked.

"Because," He explained, "you're sister is waiting to pick you up by now. That psycho is probably destroying everything in sight when she couldn't find you."

* * *

So yeah, like I said, next chapter will be good.

Akemi is going to find out some **_very _**important information about her good friends in the Sohma family ; )

Lots of love!

Don't forget to review and tell me how you liked the chapter!

Lola


	16. Well Deserved Explanation

Here it is- chapter 16. I know it's been awhile. Funny, i've had it done all this time : )

**Chapter 16: Well Deserved Explanation**

* * *

Akemi went home that night feeling more depressed than when she had left.

She couldn't understand.

Why had Haru acted so violently? What was it Kyo had said about him? He was…black?

Akemi thought back to when she had first met Haru.

_**"Tell me…do you think all things White…are fragile?"**_

His words flashed back into her mind. What could this mean? Was it possible that whomever he had been that night was someone else? Some completely different side of her?

Now it was the next day, and Akemi was simply exhausted. Amaya had left to run errands (whatever that meant) and left her alone to wallow in misery.

She had left her window wide open to let the breeze in. The weather was getting warmer, but even that could not cheer her spirits now.

She felt as if she had lost a friend. Now what would she do?

At least Kyo had come to her aid. She smiled at the thought. He really wasn't as nonchalant and uncaring as he played himself out to be.

There was a sudden noise coming from outside. It sounded like a bell ringing. Akemi went to the window and peeked her head out – she gasped in surprise.

Haru was outside of her house!

"Haru!" She hissed, "what are you doing here?"

She thought back to the day she had a conversation with Kagura about their family. She didn't dare ask her parents about the Sohma family…what would they do if they found one on their property.

Haru saw her through the window and motioned for her to come down. She ran from her window and rushed to open the front door. "Haru…"

"Hey," he said casually. He looked around. "Um..is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

She nodded and quickly led him to her bedroom and shut the door.

"Well, sit down, I guess," she said, pointing to a chair in her room.

The two shifted quite uncomfortably, until Haru said, "look, I'm here for a reason. I want to apologize about what I did-"

Akemi shook her head. "Nothing would have happened if not for me. I'm so sorry for being such a bitch last night. But…may I ask you something?"

Haru nodded. "Go ahead."

"Why…is it you acted that way? Kyo…he called you Black Haru. Why?"

He sighed; it was the one question he could not answer.

"I don't know," he said in reply, his hazy gray eyes meeting her dark green ones. She nodded and let her head fall. She started to shake slightly, her shoulders hunched.

'Is she…crying?' Haru thought, looking at her closely. He walked over to her and kneeled at her feet. "Oh Akemi," he said with a sigh, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Haru," she said, looking at him with tear stained cheeks, "I was so scared of what you would do. It was as if you were a different person altogether!"

'I was, Akemi, I was,' his mind screamed, but instead he said nothing. He simply put his hands to her cheek and wiped her tears away. His hand came to a spot on her face and she flinched slightly.

"…Is that where I…I hit you, didn't I?" He asked reluctantly.

She nodded, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

'Don't cry,' he thought pleadingly. He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around the sobbing girl and promise that he would never make her cry again. He wanted to tell her every little secret that he held. But he couldn't: the curse made sure of it.

"Akemi, you're my friend. And…I _want_ to tell you everything. Aobut why I acted the way I did last night. But there's something else I have to explain first. Let me tell you…let me show you." He grabbed her hands for a moment and sighed. She looked at him confusedly for a second, before he pulled her into a deep hug.

There was a sudden puff of smoke and he was gone. Akemi looked around wildly and said "Haru? Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here."

She nearly screamed. Before she got the opportunity to, the door barged open.

"Kemi I went to the store and I picked you up some – OH MY GOD! THERE IS A **_COW_** IN YOUR BEDROOM!" Amaya let out a blood-curdling scream before Akemi pushed her out of the door.

"Haru…is that you?" Akemi asked the cow tentatively.

"Yeah, it's me. I had to tell you- the Sohma family is cursed. When hugged by a member of the opposite sex, we turn into animals of the zodiac," Haru said. This was strange. Akemi had never seen a talking cow before.

"…All of you?"

"Not all of us. But most of the family members you know. Yuki, Shigure, Hatori, Momiji, Kagura, even Kyo."

"Oh," Akemi said, processing things. Now everything made sence. "So that's why Kyo thought I was a guy."

"What?"

"Well, I hugged Kyo last night…he didn't turn into an animal. He sounded surprised and asked me if I was a guy. Now that makes sense."

There was a sudden puff of smoke and Akemi let out a small yelp before turning around to face the wall.

"I forgot," Haru said, embarrassed, "to tell you that we're naked when we transform back." He sighed. "Well, I suppose I just really screwed things up. I can't imagine how you'd want to be friends with us after that."

"Are you kidding?" Akemi said. "I don't care about any of that – you're still the same people, no matter what. Without you guys, I would hate it here. You guys have shown me so much. None of that matters. You're still the best friends I've ever had. I don't care what you turn into."

"Oh, uh, you can turn around again," Haru said.

Akemi raised her eyebrows. "That was impressive. You're fast."

"Well, after awhile, you get used to it," he shrugged and sat back down on the bed. "Akemi," he said seriously, "the other thing I need to tell you is about the darker side of me…ever since I was little, I've had problems controlling my emotions. Sometimes I do really stupid things, the most dangerous is that. When I get too angry and I can't control it, I become this completely different person. Everyone calls me Black Haru when I'm like that…because I've done some bad things. I'm so sorry I took it out on you…I never meant it. I just…I can't stop it from happening…" he ran hands through his hair in frustration.

Akemi put her hand on his shoulder and sat next to him. "Don't worry, it's alright. I don't mind it, really. I'm sorry to have ever gotten in the way of it."

"Akemi," he said with a smile, "thank you, so much. I never imagined you'd be this accepting of me…and everyone else." He stopped for a moment. "Oh, and this is a huge secret. You can't tell anyone…in fact, I might get in trouble for this…" He winced. "See, I told you I do stupid things."

"I'm glad you told me, "Akemi assured him, "I won't tell a soul." She frowned for a moment. "Oh shit. **Amaya**."

She opened the door reluctantly. Amaya, who was still standing there, started to scream again.

Akemi clapped her hand over her mouth in annoyance. "Shut up and sit down on the bed."

Amaya did as instructed. She looked around wildly. "Where'd the cow go?" She stared at Haru. "And where'd you come from?"

Neither Akemi or Haru said a word, just looked at each other awkwardly.

"Oh. My GOD!" Amaya said, suddenly putting two and two together. "I don't believe it! How…how is that possible?"

Akemi sighed. This was going to take a_ lot_ of explaining.

* * *

"How could you do something that stupid, Haru?" Kyo yelled, pounding his fists on the table.

"It wasn't stupid," Haru objected, "she had the right to know!"

"No, if you weren't being so selfish-" Kyo began.

"Boys!" Shigure cut in icily, for once rising above their childish fighting. "This is a very serious matter." The two shut up. Yuki sat at the other end of the table, listening quietly. "Now," he said in a softer tone, "I've had to contact Akito…he wasn't particularly happy. It was a sticky enough situation when Tohru found out, but Akemi and Amaya are part of the Kamikara family. I would not be surprised if he ordered their memories erased immediately."

Haru looked down at the table guiltily. He had never thought about the consequences that way. He was in trouble now. What would happen to Akemi now?

"Shigure, may I use the phone?" He asked calmly.

"Sure Haru, you're always welcome to it," Shigure said, pointing at it, "just don't stay on too long." He nudged him, going back to his regular, joking self.

Haru nodded and went to the phone. He quickly dialed Akemi's number.

"Hello?"

"Akemi?"

"Yes…is this…Haru?"

"Yeah. Akemi, I've got some bad news.." he said reluctantly.

"…what is it?" she asked, very hesitantly.

"Well, Akito, the head of our family isn't very happy that I told you, or that your sister found out. And…we may have to…well, erase your memory…" he said sadly.

"all of it?"

"no, not all of it. Pretty much…meeting all of us. Once you're memory is wiped, you won't remember the Sohma family at all."

"Oh god," she said, "Are you sure…do I have to forget you all?"

"If Akito so decides it, then yes. I'm so sorry Akemi. I never meant to put you in this position…" He spoke softly.

"No, it's alright. I understand. Will you re-introduce yourself, if I do have to forget?" She asked.

"Of course," he said in immediate reply, "we just can't let you know about the curse again."

"Say…where does this um, Akito live? He doesn't live with Shigure-"

"No, he lives at the main house on the east side of town. That's where most of us live. Kyo never really belonged at the main house…and Yuki hated it. That's why they're living with Shigure. You should come and visit sometime…as long as you don't tell anyone about being a Kamikara…"

The two talked for a little while longer, until Akemi excused herself to go.

"I'll talk to you soon Haru…I'm sorry to make things complicated," she said, a plan forming in her head.

"No, you didn't. I did. I'll talk to you tomorrow." The two hung up.

* * *

Akemi felt out of breath and out of courage as she stood outside the entrance to the Sohma Estate. It seemed to be larger and more splendid then the Kamikara estate – not good for self esteem. Akemi herself had always been accustomed to small life- this was overwhelming. She thought of Haru and of Kyo and Yuki and Tohru. Her friends. She had no idea what she would do if she did not have them with her in this strange new life. She had to salvage these friendships by any means possible- even if it meant talking with Akito.

From the sounds of it, he was not a pleasant person. Akemi heard it in the tone of Haru's voice over the phone – this would not be good. She took a deep breath.

"Don't be such a scardy-cat," she said to herself outloud. She set her bike against a nearby tree and began to walk the path up to the main gate.

The front door was extravagant. Before she could even knock the door slid open.

"Why Miss Kamikara, what are you doing here?" Hatori asked her kindly, a small smile on his face.

"Well…I'm here to see Akito, actually," She said, trying to gather her nerve.

His smile was quickly wiped from his face and was replaced by a look of astonishment. "A-Akito? Are you…certain you want to do that?"

She nodded slightly. "Yes. There are matter to discuss," she said, not really sure if she should explain. Hatori nodded.

"I see. Follow me," He said, opening the door and letting her in. She followed him down the grand hallways to find Akito. "I assume this has something to do with Hatsuharu's foolish actions in revealing our curse."

Akemi said nothing, only nodded.

"To let you know…I don't know what Akito is thinking. If he orders your memory erased…I'll have no choice but to do it. I'm sorry, Miss Kamikara."

"No," she said, "I guess…if that's what has to happen. But, I'm here to try and stop it. You all have changed my life so much…I can't bear losing any of you. I don't care about any stupid curses…I don't want to lose my friends."

Hatori stopped at a door and turned to face her. A kind smile graced his face. "Well, we are certainly lucky. You certainly rise above the assumed Kamikara reputation – I will be disappointed if I have to take you away from the children." He knocked on the door. "Good luck."

He walked away, leaving her in the hallway alone.

"Come in," came a voice from the other side of the door. She opened it slowly. A young man stood at the window, head turned from her. He looked fragile and distant – simply staring out the window at the outside world. He turned to face her and let his hazy, uncaring eyes gaze upon her. It was obvious he didn't recognize her. "Who are you?" he said, in the same muddled voice. It was soft and almost mysterious.

"I am Akemi Kamikara…I have come to ask for your forgiveness, and for a favor." She got on her knees in front of him. "Please…don't blame Haru for telling me about the curse. It was foolish of him, but it's really my fault. Do whatever you want to me, but please, don't harm Haru. I beg of you, please forgive him." She could feel herself shaking under his piercing gaze. He scared her to no end, yet she did not falter.

He bent down and lifted her chin with his finger. "Such pretty eyes," he mumbled softly, then he smiled. "Stand up. There's no need for you to be on the ground. You may keep your memory…just don't go about telling. There are many in your family that know about the Sohma family curse…I guess you could say we have a…_History_." His smile changed to a smirk as he turned away from her. Akemi stood and brushed off her knees.

"You may go," he said, shooing her with one hand. When he saw that she did not leave, he turned back to her and assured her, "I know what you're thinking, and don't worry: I will not lay a finger on Hatsuharu."

She bowed her head. "Thank you so much…thank you." She left the room, her heart slightly lighter than when she had entered the room. She softly shut the door and left.

Akito's smirk grew to a full fledged grin as he said, "No Miss Kamikara…thank you."

* * *

Creepy. Some interesting stuff is coming soon...

Love you all! Don't forget to review (i really do need comments at the moment - what you like and dislike-what i need to work on, etc. It will help me improve, i swear)

Lola


	17. Growths and Transformations

Author's Note: So yeah...words can't express how sorry I am to keep you hanging for this long. Really. I'm a bad person. I just got back from Europe 3 days ago : ) I'll be honest, I tried to upload this before I left, and it wouldn't work, so it's been done and ready to go, except Fanfiction didn't want to let me upload : ( But anyway, it's up now. Sorry for the long wait! I love you muchly!

Disclaimer: Don't own it (Don't I know it) well, except for what i do own, and you already know what that is.

**Chapter 17: Growths and Transformations**

* * *

"We were waiting for the day you were going to find out," Yuki said quite honestly, "there were quite a few times we seriously thought you would."

Tohru came into the living room with a tray full of tea. It was a few days after Akemi had made her courageous journey to the Sohma house to beg Akito's favor. She had no idea why she had gotten so lucky.

"Is that so?" Akemi said, amused.

"Yes," Tohru said, sitting down with a cup, "the time you and Amaya slept over was a close one."

"So which one of you is Spot?" Akemi asked with a grin.

"Shigure," Yuki said, "I was the poor mouse your sister tried to squish."

Akemi laughed and replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I saved you though, didn't I?"

He nodded. "That you did. I pretty much thought I was toast."

"So what does Kyo transform into?" Akemi asked curiously.

"He was the orange tabby…'Fred', I believe we called him?" Yuki remarked.

Akemi frowned. "A cat? There's no-"

"cat in the zodiac?" Yuki filled in.

Akemi nodded.

"The legend says that god invited all the animals to a banquet, and only 12 showed up…well, apparently that's not quite right. See the rat tricked the cat into thinking the banquet was the day after, so the cat missed the banquet altogether," Tohru explained.

"So that's why you and Kyo clash so much," Akemi said, fitting the pieces together.

Yuki nodded. "He's an idiot. He thinks that violence and anger is going to make him successful. He needs to use his head."

"He knows how," Akemi murmured, "I've seen him. And he's reasons for anger are usually just ones." She thought back to the night Kyo had saved her from Haru's split personality. How fortunate she was to have a friend like him.

"So have you talked to Haru since you went to the main house?" Tohru asked.

Akemi shook her head. "Nope. I just haven't seen him. I really hope he isn't mad or avoiding me…"

"I doubt it," Yuki said thoughtfully, "probably embarrassed. He probably thinks it was his big mess to clean up. I'm sure he's ashamed of nearly getting your memory wiped."

"He shouldn't have to be," Akemi said, frowning. "I'll talk to him at school tomorrow."

The door opened and Kyo came in from outside, obviously out of breath. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and took a huge gulp of the water bottle in his hand. He had been training.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Akemi. His tone was not unkind, but not exactly friendly either.

"Came to visit," She said simply, "is that ok?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, guess so." He sat down and asked, "So…you went and talked to Akito?"

Akemi nodded. Kyo shook his head, "You're crazy, you know that? I can't believe you escaped alive."

"Why's that? I thought he was very respectable," Akemi said with a shrug. When she saw the expression on his face she said, "What?"

Yuki stood up from his spot and left the room. She winced. "Was it something I said?"

Tohru shook her head, "NO…Yuki just doesn't really get along with Akiko all that well."

"He's controlling," Kyo said, sounding a bit angry, "he latches on to certain members of the family and tries to organize their life like he wants. I'm pretty lucky- Akito and I don't talk."

"Because of the cat," Akemi said before she could stop herself.

"Yeah," Kyo answered tersely, not willing to talk about it. "I'm gonna go back outside to train." He stood up and slammed the door behind him.

Akemi sighed. "I should think about what I have to say before I open my mouth," she groaned. She too stood up, followed by Tohru. "I should go home soon. My dad is leaving this afternoon on business. He's supposed to be gone for a whole week."

"What does your dad do?" Tohru asked.

Akemi shrugged, "I'm not quite sure exactly, but he works for Kamikara industries. Family thing, of course. He used to work out of our house, but now he's started going around. God knows what grandfather has him doing these days."

* * *

"You promise?" Akemi said for the eighth time.

"Yes, I promise," her father said lightly, his eyes smiling behind his half rimmed glasses. "I will call you when I get to the hotel."

"I don't believe you," Amaya said distrustfully.

"Girls, I wouldn't forget to call you," he laughed, "you are the most important thing in my life. Have a little faith in your old man!"

"Alright," Amaya said, also laughing, "I believe you."

"How long will you be gone?" Akemi asked.

"No more than two weeks," he said, zipping up his suitcase. "And that's my word. Now come give your dad a hug goodbye." The two teenage girls hugged their father tightly. Why did he have to be gone so long?

"Do you know where your mother is?" He asked, looking around.

"Downstairs in the kitchen," Amaya said lazily, "She insisted on making lunch herself. She's constantly arguing with the cook these days."

They followed their father downstairs, who said goodbye to his tearful wife. Akemi sighed. If she was going to have to deal with a melodramatic mother for two entire weeks…. that would not be fun. Her parents were very much in love and to the best of Akemi's knowledge, had not been separated for long periods of time.

Not like two weeks was incredibly long anyway.

Her father looked out the window. "Well, that's my taxi," he sighed, "I'm sorry to leave like this guys. But I promise, I'll call you as soon as I get to the hotel."

The girls smiled at him, gave him one last hug and watched out the window as the car pulled away.

* * *

"So your dad left then?" Tohru asked on Monday at lunch.

Akemi nodded. "Yeah, I miss him already." She frowned. "But I'm sort of mad…he never called me, like he said he would."

"I'm sorry,"Tohru said sadly.

"No, it's ok. I'm just sort of disappointed…'Have a little faith in your old man!' He said. I can't believe him." She sighed. "I still haven't talked to Haru. Are you sure he's not mad?"

"Pretty sure…he doesn't have any reason to be," Tohru insisted, "But you should still talk to him. Whatever he's thinking, it needs to be said. You should go and find him now."

"You sure?" Akemi asked doubtfully.

Tohru nodded happily, "Yeah! Go on. He's bound to be around here somewhere. I have to go find Uo and Hana anyway."

So Akemi made her way down the hallways of babbling girls and mischievous looking boys, sights set on finding the black and white haired boy. Near the end of lunch, she gave up and decided to go up to the roof – perhaps she could find Kyo up there.

She gasped in surprise when she saw none other than the one she had been looking for.

"Hey there," she said quite cheerfully, walking towards him.

"Hi," he said, looking down at the ground that was so far below them. He hardly seemed to notice her.

"Um…how are you? I haven't talked to you in a few days-" She began the conversation lamely.

"Why did you do it?" He asked suddenly. "Why did you go to Akito?"

Akemi was almost glad he'd gone straight to the point. "I wanted to make sure that you weren't the one being blamed. If they were going to erase my memory, I didn't want to go without a fight. I wanted him to know that it was my fault and not yours."

"But it wasn't your fault," Haru protested, "I was the one that told you!"

"It doesn't matter now," She said with a sigh, "Akito promised me he wouldn't punish you and I'm allowed to keep my memory. We got lucky I guess."

"Akemi," He said seriously, "no one has ever dared go to Akito like that before…and no one has ever done anything like that for me." He lowered his voice and said in great sincerity, "thank you so much."

Akemi could feel her cheeks grow hot as that Haru's face was only inches away from hers. She shook her head and said in embarrassment, "Nah, don't worry about it. You're my friend, right? What friend wouldn't look out for you?"

"You'd be surprised," Haru said, turning back to the ledge of the building, "Yuki once had friends find out – he tripped playing tag in the garden and ran into a girl – he lost all his friends. They were scared of what he was- and of course it didn't last long. Hatori had to track down every single child and erase his or her memories. But we were young then, the secret could have gotten out very easily." He spoke casually, yet softly, as if to be cautious with a fragile memory.

"That's horrible," Akemi said, bringing her hand to her mouth.

"It happens," Haru said dejectedly, "we've all lost people that way." He turned to look at her and gave her a small smile. "I'm just glad I didn't lose you."

She smiled back; her dark green eyes crinkled and said, "you never would have."

"Hey, do you want to hang out after school?" He asked, "I'm meeting a few people after school and I think you'd like to meet them as well."

"Sure, I'd like that a lot," Akemi said. Her ears perked up as she heard the final lunch bell ring. She sighed, "Time for class. I'll meet you at the front gates after school then?"

He nodded and waved goodbye as they parted for class.

* * *

"So where are we going?" Akemi asked Haru curiously.

"You'll see," He said with a small wink.

"Haru, sorry to break it to you, but you don't have the best sense of direction," she warned him, "why don't you just tell me where we're going?"

"Alright fine," he said finally, "we're going downtown. We're supposed to meet these two right outside our favorite coffee shop. I hope they can get there ok…"

"Let's work on getting _us_ there ok," Akemi said, tugging his collar, "we've been going the long way."

When they finally made their way, Akemi looked around for kids their age. She didn't see anyone – only bustling people on their way home from work, and two little children looking dreadfully bored. _I wonder if they're waiting for their mother outside_, Akemi mused.

"So where are they?" Akemi asked lamely. She felt silly asking as if she was blind.

"Right there," Haru said, pointing to the two children. She blinked again. Those were the people they were meeting?

The two children looked rather old to be called children, around the age of 12. The boy looked extremely bored and cynical, kicking stones as he walked in circles, occasionally staring at his watch. The girl sat quietly leaning against the wall, her sandy hair cut short in a bob. She looked up to see Haru and a look of joy spread across her face. Without a word, she ran and hugged him around the middle.

Akemi raised her eyebrows, expecting him to transform. When he didn't, she immediately thought that this girl must be a member of the zodiac as well.

"Hey there Kisa, how are you this afternoon?" Haru asked her pleasantly, ruffling her hair slightly.

"Good," she said in a meek voice, a large smile on her face.

"Kisa, I would like you to meet my friend Akemi. She's also friends with Tohru, Yuki and Kyo," Haru said, pushing her forwards towards Akemi.

"It's nice to meet you Kisa," Akemi said, smiling down at the girl. Kisa looked shyly up at her and waved hello.

"She's a bit shy," Haru said, "she's just started talking again, thanks to Tohru."

"And what am I, a statue?" The boy said rather rudely, coming over.

"This is Hiro," Haru said offhanded, "don't be offended if he's rude. It's his way of showing he cares."

"I don't show people I care unless I do," Hiro said blatantly. He looked at Akemi. "Who are you?"

"Akemi Kamikara," she announced with a bow, "nice to meet you."

"You don't act like a Kamikara," he said frankly, "Kamikaras are rude and stupid."

"From what I've learned, I'm not much like other Kamikaras," Akemi said with a shrug. "I don't talk to my extended family that often."

"I knew a Kamikara once," Hiro continued, "he went to school with me for awhile, until he started picking fights with me. When his parents found out who I was they sent him to a private school."

"That sounds about right," Akemi said shaking her head, "my father's told me about some of my cousins and other relatives. I can't exactly say I'm proud of what my family name stands for."

Hiro observed her for a moment, as if to judge her with his calculating brown eyes. Then he shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose you're ok."

Akemi smiled. "Good to know. It's very nice to meet you both." She lowered her voice, "So…are you both members of the zodiac?"

Hiro glared at Haru, "you told someone?"

Haru shrugged, "Akito didn't erase her memory. It's fair game now."

"I'm the tiger," Kisa said proudly. "And Hiro is-"

"Don't say it," Hiro interrupted.

"The sheep!" She finished with a smile. Then she turned to Hiro, "Sorry, it just slipped out!" Her voice was fragile sounding- almost a whisper.

"It's ok," Hiro said, shrugging again, "I guess I don't care if she knows."

"Those are both very cool transformations," Akemi said, trying to make light conversation. She unfortunately did not get another word in before her cell phone began to ring.

"Excuse me a moment," She said, taking it out of her bag, "Hello? Hi mom. Now? Do I have to? What do you need my help with? Well Amaya can always…No, no. I'm sorry. Ok, I'm coming back. Goodbye mom." She sighed as she hung up the phone. "That was my mom. She's near melting point. My dad only left a few days ago and already she's having trouble maintaining her sanity. I'll see you later Haru." She turned to both Hiro and Kisa and said, "it was nice meeting you both, I hope to see you again soon."

Kisa (and a reluctant Hiro) waved goodbye as she biked away down the street.

* * *

"Akemi Kamikara, you said?" A hollow voice said in the dark room.

Hiro nodded. "Yeah. She seems to be pretty good friends with Haru…it was weird. I don't think I've ever seen him act that way."

"I see…"

"What are you going to do, Rin?" Hiro asked, almost nervously.

Rin ran her long, bony fingers through her ebony hair. A thin smile passed her red lips. "We'll see Hiro. I'll think of something."

* * *

I'd forgotten how much I liked this chapter. It's not one of my favorites, but I'd forgotten it wasn't that bad of a filler. A few key things happened inthis chapter..by next chapter you'll understand.

Much love!

Lola

(you know what to do with reviews!)


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